


Give Me More

by mottsforthots



Series: Reylo Fics [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: 23 year old Rey, 33 year old Kylo, Alternate Universe - Vikings, Arranged Marriages, Battle, Bed maid, Blood, Blood Eagle, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Captured, Courtship, Dark Reylo, Denmark - Freeform, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Escape, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Forbidden Love, Foreign Language, Friends to Lovers, Good Parent Kylo Ren, Good Parent Rey, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Hair Kink, Hair-pulling, Happy Ending, Hidden Pasts, I'm Bad At Tagging, Love, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of Rape, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Past Underage Sex, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Rough Sex, Royalty, Servant Rey, Sex, Smut, Strong Female Characters, Strong Rey (Star Wars), Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Traditions, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vaginal Fingering, Viking Dean Winchester, Viking Kylo, Vikings, War, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, bathing together, good parents, no actual rape, servant - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:01:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 92,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21722671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mottsforthots/pseuds/mottsforthots
Summary: Raided, captured, and brought to a foreign land, Rey finds herself being handed over as a bed maid to a Viking called Kylo Ren who prefers isolation from the village below, and apparently speaks her native tongue. However, instead of being used in the way she thinks she will, Kylo puts her to work around the house alongside him and takes it upon himself to teach her their ways. What starts as a spiteful entrapment slowly turns into a mutual friendship, and an even greater romance forbidden from happening.
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Reylo Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1485977
Comments: 268
Kudos: 1325





	1. Fight Back

**Author's Note:**

> While traditions and Viking culture has been researched and contributes heavily to the story, some facts have been changed to better fit the narrative and add drama. In other words, some practices remain true of Viking heritage while others may be manipulated for effect.
> 
> Twitter: @ driverdiary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is for u anna, maybe i'll actually finish it lmao

The day had started as any other.

Rey woke to the light that streamed through her window and the sound of people already walking about the village to begin their chores for the day. With a groan, she stretched herself in bed and lifted herself to sit on the edge of the worn blankets as she wiped away the sleep from her eyes. She began her day only thirty minutes later, a woven basket on her arm as she headed out of the back of her cottage and moved towards the small chicken coop that sat in the left corner of her fenced in yard. Rose walked over sometime later with her own filled basket and waved when Rey finally rose to her feet after grabbing every egg she could find within the coop.

“Morning, Rey. I hear Wexley is going to try for your hand in marriage yet again today,” she greeted with a smug smile, leaning over the wooden enclosure as Rey sighed heavily and rested the basket on her hip. “Where did you hear that? This is the fifth time he’s tried if he does,” Rey grumbled, her eyes flicking over to the rest of the tiny village that was bustling with its few residents. “Kaydel heard him talking about it with Nien before you woke. I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up with a ring after I left,” Rose giggled a little as Rey turned back to her cozy little cottage on the very edge of the village that only hosted fifteen people. 

“Don’t leave then.” Their playful conversation was cut dry though when the dormant warning bell suddenly filled the air and froze time itself. It seemed like the entire village held their breath as everyone stopped in their place and stared at the top of the only church in the village, the golden bell at the peak of its pillar swinging back and forth in panic. The basket full of eggs dropped at Rey’s feet and she swallowed hard before turning to Rose who was already looking at her in terror. “Go. Get the other women. Remember, we meet in the back of the church. Bring whatever weapons you may have.” 

Rose abandoned her own eggs, the yellow yolks splattering on the floor only to be covered by dirt as Rose sprinted into the village that was now scrambling to get together whatever weapons they had. Though they were a Christian village, the men all had swords of some sort and readily entered their own cottages to retrieve them should a battle ensue. But Rey wasn’t focused on that as she scurried into her own home- she was trained on finding her bow and arrows along with the small knife she could tuck into the side of her boot if she needed. Much to her relief, they remained situated under her bed and she snatched them quickly before fleeing her home. 

“It’s them! The Pagans!” a voice shouted above all the chaos and Rey turned to stare out at the open sea that rested along the coast of their village, massive wooden ships with curled tips and colored sails and long oars that paddled through the waves. They’d heard of the vicious warriors from the North that raided, raped, and robbed, but Rey never expected their tiny village consisting of only eight houses and a church to be a victim. Nodding to herself and taking a deep breath, she returned to jogging towards the church and entered, recognizing she was the last woman to be there.

Phasma, Kaydel, Rose, Tallie, Paige, and Rey all stood in the middle of the aisle with wide eyes as the sounds of war echoed only moments later through the air. Turning to her friends, Rey grabbed at their arms and looked at each of them in the eyes, “We will not go down without a fight. If you’ve got a weapon, show it now.” But they all just stared at her with disappointed gazes and shook their heads. _It was just her._ Biting at her lip, Rey nodded slowly and turned once more to face the doors of the church as the battle grew closer and closer. “Behind me then. I’ll do what I can.” 

They all backed up as Rey pulled her bow from her shoulder and grabbed the first arrow from her sling, the sharp knife secured safely in her right boot. Pressing the weaponized wood against the string, Rey drew the bow back tight and held her breath as all of their eyes stared at the door- waiting, not blinking, trembling. A language Rey didn’t understand grew impossibly near and she could hear the heavy footfalls of a man as his angry tone filled her ears. The doors swung open abruptly only moments later and Rey released her first arrow as soon as she saw the man’s figure, the sharp tip ripping directly through his heart and sending him tumbling to the floor.

Breathless at the realization she’d just killed a man who appeared twice her size, Rey fumbled for another arrow and pulled the string yet again as a shout in the unfamiliar tongue alerted others of what had happened. Three men slowly approached the opening and peered inside, Rey’s nerves getting the better of her as she let her arrow fly, only for it to miss one of the men by centimeters. He jerked back in shock and exchanged surprised words with the others as Rey grabbed her final arrow. _She never thought she’d need to use them, only three ever filling the container._ They observed her last spear and murmured to each other before they all entered the church at the same time.

Rey fired at the one in the middle and caught him in the shoulder, a yelp of pain halting him as he fell to his knees and clutched the wound. But the other two barreled forward then and it was all over. The women behind her screamed as they gathered all of them up, the one on the left with red hair snatching Rey’s arm far too tightly. He just frowned at her as she tugged hard against his grasp and tried to kick him in the man’s most painful region, but he was a giant and very obviously stronger than Rey. He just cracked a joke Rey didn’t know to the other man as they both peered down at her and she realized this was it. This was her downfall. She was going to be used and murdered and this was where her story ended.

But they dragged all of them out kicking and sobbing as the rest of the Pagan warriors finished up their ransacking of the village. A few eyed Rey as she was dragged by her arm behind the man with bright red hair, laughing when the man shouted something humorous out while jerking her forward. Rose was in his other grasp and tears streamed heavily down her face as she looked to Rey in pure panic. “Fight back. Always fight back,” Rey cried loudly, her arm starting to go numb from the red-head’s grip. 

They pulled them all the way to the longboats along the shore and hurried them onto the ships as if they were cattle. Pushed to the very edge and huddled against each other, the massive warriors smirked at their tiny group and murmured smug remarks as they pulled away from little beach and began to work up the oares. All Rey could do was stare at the village that had gone up in smoke, not even realizing they had set fire to all of the little houses. It dawned on her only minutes later that none of the men were on the boat with them. 

*****

For two days they huddled together against the edge of the boat as the men around them spoke in a tongue they didn’t know. Their stomachs ached with pain from hunger and their tongues had gone dry as sandpaper, and on the third day of sailing, Paige didn’t wake. They’d mourned quietly in their little corner, praying and exchanging soft words of support to Rose who felt the hardest for her sister’s death. Rey glared at the men as often as she could, the only one brave enough to hold their gaze. She could tell many of them talked about her by the way they held her eyes and used teasing tones when talking to another. 

It seemed they’d assigned her the name ‘Kriger’ although she had no idea what that meant either. The name Kylo was thrown up into the air as well, but she also paid it no mind. It was when she felt like she was on death’s door that one of the men shouted out, “Jord!” and everyone cheered excitedly. Rey had managed to pull her weak body up to glance at what they were looking for and swallowed thickly when she caught a glimpse of a much larger village than her own situated between towering green mountains permanently draped with a misty fog. The water was crystal clear and she watched as a crowd began to gather on the bank of whatever waterway they were creeping down.

Turning to her friends, she shook them awake and they thankfully all stirred to see her anxious eyes. “What is it?” Tallie croaked as she grasped Rey’s hand limply. “We’re here… wherever here is. Stay together if we can and if we get separated… fight as hard as you can.” Everyone hugged each other then and wiped their new tears as the longboat came to a slow stop beside one of the few wooden piers set up on the water. “Kom op,” the redhead Rey was most familiar with grunted as he approached their little group.

Clearly getting the message to get up, Rey stood on her wobbly legs and gathered up her friends while still giving the meanest eye she could muster to the Pagans that gazed back at her. Cheering sounded from the crowd as all of the men on the boats began to unload with their spoils, triumph and victory obviously in the air as women flung themselves into mens arms and friends clanged their battle axes and swords together in celebration. Rey and the rest were shuffled off the ship at the very end, the redhead trailing behind them with his own sword grasped just as a reminder he could cut them down should he wish it. 

The crowd of Pagans quieted when they saw the group of women, but Rey kept her gaze forward and her chin level as they walked towards a circular clearing that had been created inward from the dock but just before the village began. A woman with intricately braided grey hair stood beside an older looking man who kept his own silver strands braided behind him, a neatly trimmed beard and mustache covering the bottom half of his face. The woman held Rey’s eyes and gave an amused smile before muttering something to the man beside her. It was easy to tell they were the leaders of wherever they’d ended up, so Rey kept her mouth shut as the redhead began to speak. 

“Vi angreb en lille landsby i det Nye Land, vi opdagede. Vi har bragt våben, skatte og konkubiner hjem til mændene.” _We attacked a small village in the New Land we discovered. We’ve brought home weapons, treasures and concubines for the men._ A few pleased grumbles sounded from the males in the village and Rey shifted anxiously on her feet at the noise, clearly understanding whatever he’d said was directed to the opposite gender. The older woman gave a small smile and turned her gaze away from Rey to the warrior that had bruised Rey’s arm purple and black.

“Tak, Hux, for at have ledet raidet, mens vores søn var væk med at forhandle med den østlige klan. Han vil hjælpe med at sortere dine bud, jeg overlader det til dig at sortere kvinderne.” _Thank you, Hux, for leading the raid while our son was away negotiating with the Eastern clan. Han will help sort your spoils, I leave it to you to sort the women_. With that, the two leaders split with the rest of the clan, except for a few of the men. A sinking feeling filled Rey’s stomach as she vaguely caught the drift of what was to happen next. “What is it? What’s happening?” Kaydel whispered from behind her.

The redhead, Hux she presumed, started barking out words to the men that had remained behind as she turned and gently placed a hand on the younger woman’s arm, “I think they’re dividing us up to give to the men. You remember what I told you. Be strong, fight back, and if we die… may we die resisting everything they stand for.” It was Tallie who let out the soft sob at her words, but Rose just leaned against her best friend for support as Kaydel and Phasma exchanged soft words of encouragement to one another. “Mitaka, den med bollerne. Finn, den sorthårede pige. Poe, den blonde kvinde. Jeg vil have det med det korte hår og ... vi giver krigeren til Kylo.” _Mitaka, the one with the buns. Finn, the black-haired girl. Poe, the blonde woman. I want the one with short hair and… we give the warrior to Kylo._

A few of them snickered and when they walked forward to grab the arm of the woman they’d been given to, soft gasps and cries fell from the lips of the women as the began to reach for one another. It wasn’t until Rey realized she hadn’t been grasped did she realize whatever man she’d been assigned to wasn’t there. Instead, Hux took her arm yet again with Phasma in the other and started to head towards a steep hill that rested between the flat land below and the towering mountains surrounding them. “You… eh… go Kylo Ren,” Hux stated in very, very poor English. Still, she was stunned he knew any and followed his gaze to the barely noticeable triangle shaped cabin with smoke blowing out of its chimney.

They continued their way up the steep hill, each step only adding to her wildly thumping heart as they drew closer to the home she could now see was made of dark brown woods- antlers mounted in a circle above the doors and on either side of the small entryway leading into the home on the outside. “Kylo er vores stærkeste kriger. Han pisker en form i dig, hvis ingen andre kan.” _Kylo is our strongest warrior. He’ll whip some shape into you if no one else can._ Although she couldn’t understand his words, she picked up on his sinister tone and found herself still in his grasp when Hux knocked on the doors. 

“Hvem er det?” a deep and raspy voice called from within the home. Rey didn’t want to admit the low pitch did anything to her, but her stomach begged to disagree as it suddenly flipped and fluttered. “Det er Hux. Vi er tilbage fra angrebet, og vi bragte dig en sengepige. Brændende lille ting, der er bestemt til at sætte en kamp.” _It's Hux. We’re back from the raid and we brought you a bed maid. Fierce little thing determined to put up a fight._ There was a silence from inside the cottages for a long moment, but then the door opened and a man bigger than any human she’d ever seen alive stood in the entryway with a cold gaze. 

Even she tried to take a step back in fear as her eyes took in the pale face covered with moles and freckles, piercing dark eyes gazing into her own. A white scar bisected his face from eyebrow to cheek, continuing later on his milky white shoulder that was riddled with other small scars. His lips were dangerously full and pink but turned down in a frown, his sharp jaw was apparent under a neatly trimmed mustache and beard, and jet black locks dripping with water touched his shoulders. Tattoos of symbols Rey was unfamiliar with were scattered on his skin here and there, but it was those eyes that really drew her attention. They observed her harshly and when he finally looked to Hux, Rey let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in. 

“Jeg vil ikke have hende.” _I don’t want her._

Hux tsked and tossed Rey forward, her small frame crashing into his before she fell to her hands and knees at his feet. He barely moved an inch, his eyes flicking down to her crumpled frame as she gasped for air at the sudden action. “Bare tag hende, Kylo. Hvis du ikke vil kneppe hende, skal du i det mindste lære hende vores måder og gøre hende til en tjener.” _Just take her, Kylo. If you don't want to fuck her, at least teach her our ways and make her a servant._

With that, Hux turned away from the isolated cabin and began to drag Phasma to wherever he was situated. Rey remained on her hands and knees before the giant of a man, but when he unhappily ordered, “Kom op,” she slowly rose on legs that felt more than ready to give out below her. Seeming to sense her famished state, the man grumbled under his breath and took her arm in a hand that completely wrapped around her bicep, though his grip wasn’t tight at all. “Taler du vores tunge?” he growled as he sat her down at what appeared to be a kitchen table. 

It was warm inside the cabin and cozy, but Rey was on edge as she stared at the man called Kylo who looked like he just finished washing up not even five minutes ago. Water beads that dripped from his long inky tendrils slipped down his muscular back that sported a few more of the mysterious symbols and for a moment, Rey was distracted by the way they moved down the ripples of white flesh. “Taler du vores tunge, kvinde?” Kylo asked a little sharper, turning around to glare at her as she blinked and furrowed her eyebrows. 

The word tunge sounded like tongue and she thought she understood what he was trying to get at because she whispered, “No. My tongue is English.” He eyed her up and down under those dark eyebrows and cocked his head to the side a bit. Without saying anything, he turned back around and grabbed a pitcher on the nearby counter to pour water into an empty mug and snatched what looked like leftover bread from the opposite end. When he set the items in front of her and sat in the stool across from her, Rey just stared at him in uncertainty. 

“Spise. Har du et navn foruden hårdt?” _Eat. Do you have a name besides fierce?_

_Navn._

Rey had figured the strange word meant name because the men had brought it up multiple times in their discussions about her on the boat ride over, so she shakily murmured, “Rey.” Kylo just stared at her, then extended a hand to point out the food and water yet again before rising to his feet. It was the water she took first, still trying to keep her manners even though her mouth was desperate for even a drop of the liquid. She only allowed herself half before she picked up the quarter of what looked like was once a loaf of bread, then began to tear off small pieces to eat one at a time. 

“You’re going to kill me after you have sex with me, aren’t you?” she asked as he began to shrug on a shirt and other garments that rested on a nearby hook on the wall. “No.” His simple, but very English, answer startled Rey and she blinked at his back as he tugged on a loose belt around his waist. “Just kill me then?” Rey pressed a little further, trying to test if he actually understood what she was saying. Once again he replied with, “No,” and Rey felt a little inclined to believe that was the only word he knew. “So you’re just going to have sex with me.”

He turned around this time and very obviously looked her body up and down before huffing out, “No.” She set the bread down in her lap and watched as he walked tiredly towards the bedroom to the left of the main area within the house. She glanced to the giant wooden doors behind her and began to mentally calculate what would happen if she were to flee right now. Granted, Rey had no idea where they were and even if she did escape, there was a great chance she’d just fall into another barbarian’s lap who would definitely do worse to her than whatever Kylo was doing. When she turned her head back around to glance at the bedroom, her lips parted in shock to see him staring at her with his arms crossed.

“Tænk ikke engang på det.” _Don’t even think about it._

Nibbling at her bottom lip, the knife that rested alongside her boot nudged back into her mind and it was a snap decision then. She didn’t care where she was or where she went, anywhere was better than here. And if she died trying to find a welcoming place to settle, then so be it. Rey’s hand was tugging up her dress and stuffing itself in the side of her boot before Kylo had a chance to move away from the entryway to the bedroom and when his face hardened at the sight of the knife she suddenly wielded in her hand, Rey threw it as hard as she could in his direction.

The chair toppled over as she bolted for the door, a groan of pain echoing behind her while she flung the doors open and rapidly took in her surroundings. The best bet was for the mountains and she grabbed at the skirt of her dress, yanking it up before sprinting in its direction. Weak, hungry, tired, and disoriented, Rey made her way up the side of the mountain and ditched her boots about five minutes in when they no longer suited the terrain. An unfamiliar shout came from behind her and when she looked back, she didn’t see Kylo trailing behind her but a very different man with wild eyes.

Gasping, she pushed harder up the mountain, her hands and feet and dress dirty from the mud and grass below her. The footsteps of the man she’d never seen before grew closer and closer and she knew it was the end when a large hand suddenly grabbed her leg and yanked her back. “No! Get off me!” she hissed, the man pushing her on her back as he rested himself on top of her. He just grinned maliciously and began to attempt pinning her wrists down to the grass below. “Get the _fuck_ off of me!” Rey seethed, her whole body wriggling this way and that as she kicked and screamed and fought with anger. 

When the man suddenly drew away from her in an instant, Rey scrambled back only to see Kylo yanking the man off of her and punching him square in the face. He tumbled back like a sack of bricks and lay there motionlessly as Rey stared at him with wide eyes, her breathing still at a rapid panting before she came to her senses and looked up at Kylo. She just about fainted at the sight of her knife buried in the right side of his chest, branching trickles of blood evident through the shirt he wore. His eyes were dark and angry when she looked up at him and when he reached up to pull the knife out of him with a grunt, that was when Rey officially blacked out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all enjoyed :)


	2. Get Undressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it gets steamy this chapter, no pun intended ;)

Rey woke to the feeling of a soft bed underneath her and the sound of a crackling fire nearby. Groaning a little in her wearing off sleep, Rey rolled onto her side and slowly blinked to take in her surroundings. She bolted upright when she suddenly spotted the giant Pagan man sitting on a stool by the fire shirtless, a metal rod in one hand currently being scorched by the fire below until the tip was bright orange. “That was a stupid choice, you know.” His voice was low and dangerous when he spoke, but Rey was more stunned at the fact he was speaking perfect fucking English.

He angled his head to gaze upon her, but his irises were dark with distaste and when he pulled the metal rod out of the fire, it was only to press the end into the knife wound she’d given him with a sizzling hiss. Kylo grimaced at the action and let out a pained breath, but held it in place for a few seconds before tossing the rod back into the fire. “Y-You speak English,” she whispered, backing up on the bed when he began to move forward menacingly. He just reached out and snatched her hand up, yanking her whole body forward before he placed her palm over the cauterized wound that was still warm. “This is _your_ fault.” 

With that, he shoved her hand away and walked over to a wooden trunk on the floor that held more of the clothes the men wore here. He had on the same black pants she’d met him in along with the belt, but it was obvious he was in need of a new shirt as the memories of him pulling the knife out of his chest with blood going everywhere filled her head. “You deserved it,” Rey finally decided on only moments later, rising from the bed to hold her ground even though her palm tingled from where it rested on his skin. Kylo just shook his head as he pulled on a grey, long sleeved shirt carefully. “You’re picking the wrong person to fight with.”

Narrowing her eyes, Rey took another defiant step forward and hissed out, “How do you speak English? Why haven’t you been speaking it all along?” Rolling his eyes, Kylo turned back around and crossed his arms as he looked her up and down, “You’re filthy. You need clothes and a bath.” He walked forward and took her arm in his hand yet again, but Rey managed to tug it free and take a few steps back. The giant warrior turned around with dark eyes and leaned forward dangerously as he pointed his index finger at the ground. “Come here, do what I say, and I won’t hurt you.” She just swallowed hard and lifted her chin to show defiance. “Make me,” she hissed.

In the next second, Kylo was sweeping her off her feet and tossing her around his shoulders, his giant hands grabbing her wrists and ankles as Rey lay draped across his neck. “Put me down!” she cried, trying to squirm out of his grasp, but even she knew he didn’t really have to try to hold her in place. “Stop fucking fighting,” Kylo snapped, “you’re getting my clothes dirty.” Mustering up some saliva in her mouth, Rey spit as hard as she could at the side of his face and he took in a sharp breath, closing his eyes like a parent would when dealing with a bratty child. “You do that again and I won’t be so gentle with you anymore.” 

Huffing, Rey slumped against his back as he kicked open the door of the house and began to trudge down the side of the steep hill in silence. She took a minute to really observe the scenery and realized, had the circumstances been different, this place was absolutely beautiful. The crystal clear water of the waterway was still and flat, winding between towering lush mountains that maintained their green color despite the fact it was growing colder every day. The fog that draped over the colossal peaks hid the sun, but it was still bright out and the water sparkled every now and then if she caught it the right way.

The village at the bottom of the hill was much larger than hers, well over fifty homes making up an oval shaped area, but the forest to the right of it stretching up into the mountains most likely held houses as well. Goats roamed the side of the slopes freely, a few men and women standing nearby though their eyes were trained on Kylo and her. Livestock, timber, fishing… these people had it all and Rey let out a strangled breath at the thought of her cozy little village that supported itself off of chickens, fish from the sea, and driftwood that washed up on the shore. The smoke that filled the sky after the Pagan’s raided them filled her mind and she decided to stop thinking about it and focus on something else. 

“How do you know English?” Rey asked, finally switching to a different topic when they were about halfway down the hill. “You ask a lot of questions,” he huffed in annoyance, shifting her body around his shoulders slightly. Frowning, Rey opened her mouth and purposely began to make hacking noises to show she was going to spit again but he just glared at her in warning. “My mother was one of your kind. She taught me when I was young. Her motherly abilities end there, though.” His words were sour and sharp, suggesting he didn’t want to talk about it much anymore but Rey pushed anyway because who was she to care what the barbarian wanted? “Your mother married one of you _Pagans?_ Willingly or forced?” 

Kylo tightened his grip on her wrists and ankles, but Rey made no sound of pain. Surprisingly, he was still keeping a rather comfortable grasp on her unlike the redhead who manhandled her like a sack of potatoes. “Willingly. And we call ourselves Vikings, not Pagans.” _Vikings_. Somehow the word only instilled her with more fear and she shut up then as they finally reached the village and began to walk through the town. People commented on the two of them under their breaths, their eyes flicking over hesitantly as Kylo strutted down the middle of the village towards a shop with different kinds of clothing hanging around it. 

Rey furrowed her eyebrows at their behavior, though. They had no problem talking about her and laughing at her when she’d been captured or taken onto the boat, but they seemed almost… _afraid_ to say something now. She glanced to the side of Kylo’s cold face, his muscles set to something stern and wondered if it had anything to do with him. In the next second, she was set down on her feet and his arm was back around her bicep to keep her in place. “Stand here. Say nothing,” Kylo instructed severely, his gaze enough of a warning to make her obey. 

“Kylo, det er godt at se dig. Jeg hørte, de gav dig en tæve af en kvinde, men jeg troede ikke, det var sandt! Hvad kan jeg gøre for dig?” _Kylo, it's good to see you. I heard they gave you a bitch of a woman, but I didn't think it was true! What can I do for you?_ A man with a wide smile and dark black hair appeared from within the shop and eyed Rey in a way that made her instinctively take a step towards Kylo. If Kylo noticed her little action, he said nothing about it. “Hun har brug for tøj. Vi tager tre kjoler og to outfits, der er beregnet til en skjoldpige.” _She needs clothes. We'll take three dresses and two outfits that are meant for a shield maiden._

The man raised an eyebrow at whatever Kylo had said, then promptly looked at Rey again. “Skjold pigen tøj? For hende? Hun er en hore, Kylo.” _Shield maiden clothing? For her? She's a whore, Kylo._ Kylo glanced down at her then and mentally took in the fact she was a bit closer, but Rey was staring up at him with unsure eyes desperate to find out what they were discussing. _Right, he’d have to teach her the language too._ “Stol på mig,” he stated lowly while keeping eye contact, “Hun er ikke.” _Trust me. She’s not._ The man just made a face but nodded, turning back into the shop while they waited patiently, Kylo eventually turning his gaze to something else. 

Eyes watched them from every angle and Rey nervously shifted on her feet, not used to being stared at by so many people. Where was the courage she had when she was on the boat? Trying her best to glare at everyone who stared at her, she eventually gave up when they just commented things she didn’t understand right in front of her. “What do you want with me?” Rey finally questioned, turning to look up at Kylo who stared off into the forest heading into the mountains. “It’s amazing that you still think I’m going to have my way with you and kill you. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve by now.” 

He sounded exhausted from her questions, but when his eyes fell on hers yet again, they seemed much less harsh than they had been earlier. “My question still stands then,” she murmured, shivering when a particularly cold wind blew through the village. It didn’t help that her outfit was a plain, cream colored, long sleeve dress made for every day farming. Even the navy blue apron covering her chest failed at adding another layer of warmth. Her hair that had surprisingly kept place in its bun only made the chilling air hit her neck as well. Sighing, Kylo snatched one of the fur pelts from the stand in front of them and threw it carelessly around her shoulders before grumbling, “Could use help around the place.” 

He didn’t grab for her arm after that, just turned back to look at the forest as she stared up at him. Her little fingers held the pelt against her chest and the warmth that came from it was astounding for it only being on her for a few seconds. “Okay, her er hvad jeg fandt til kvinden.” _Okay, here's what I found for the woman._ The creepy man returned with a thick stack of clothing and Rey’s eyes widened significantly at the pile, her own wardrobe back home only consisting of four dresses. Kylo pulled a small sack filled with foreign coins out of his pants and tossed it to the man before picking up the clothes and heading towards the woods he’d been staring at. “Come on before someone snags you,” he growled over his shoulder when she didn’t move. 

Nodding to herself, she quickly scurried after him and held with his pace as they followed a dirt trail into the thick woods filled with the tallest trees she’d ever seen. Many times she caught herself open mouthed with her head tilted back to stare at the lumber as tall as the sky. The path forked sometime into the forest and Kylo whistled to get her attention when she kept going straight. Blinking a bit to remind herself where she was, Rey rushed back over to where he was waiting and he gave her an unamused eye roll. At the end of the path, a large triangular cabin much like his own rested peacefully with steam drifting out of the chimney and Rey eyed it suspiciously. “Wait here. Run off and you’ll be eaten by the wolves.” 

_Wolves? They had those here?_

Kylo walked into the cabin and closed the door behind him while Rey remained outside like the obedient little thing she was becoming. Part of her wondered if there actually were wolves and he was just scaring her to stay put while the other half severely doubted Kylo was a liar. She didn’t get much time to think about an escape attempt though as her inky haired Viking opened the door once again and waved her over. The cabin was empty for the most part inside, four long benches sitting on either side of a giant square in-ground bath that was the source of the steam. Kylo had set the clothes on one of the benches and now sat down with his arms crossed as he stared at her.

“Get undressed. You’re covered with mud from yesterday’s short escape.” Two serious points ran through her head then; one, he wanted her naked, and two, she’d been knocked out for a day. Rey decided to focus on the first point, “I’m not undressing in front of you.” He just blinked at her and gave a pointed expression that suggested they weren’t going anywhere until she was naked and in that bath. “You want me to go first, then?” He suggested, rising to his feet to start tugging at his shirt as she gasped, “You’re going in there too?” Kylo just rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time and removed himself of the shirt, the vast expanse of muscle suddenly very much on display in front of her. 

Rey had never seen such a man before in her life and if the place between her legs got a little wet from the sight, that was no one’s knowledge but her own. His abs were the first thing she picked out, then his giant biceps, and then the killer V-line dipping into those black pants he had on. The little tattoos only made things worse. Kylo just stared at her grimly as he began to work the belt off his hips and drop it to the floor. Her cheeks were on fire as she stared at him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he undressed. When he began to undo the ties on his pants, Rey finally covered her eyes with her hand and turned herself away from the sight. 

Those fell with a soft thud moments later and the sound of water rippling eventually made her peak between the gaps of her fingers. The water was thankfully a pale blue color that hid the lower half of his body, so Rey dropped her hand and crossed her arms as his eyes never left her face. “I’m not getting in there with you,” she stated firmly, trying her hardest not to flick her eyes down. “I could always get back out and drag you in if you want that.” Her cheeks burned even hotter at his words and she turned her gaze to anything but him. 

“If I get in there, you’re closing your eyes while I get undressed.” Rey’s tone was serious and Kylo cocked his head to the side a little bit as he observed the woman standing before the bath he was relaxing in. It was no lie she was beautiful, any man could see that and it was obvious in the way Pyre had tried to take her by force yesterday when she stabbed him and fled. To say he was turned on by her ferocity was an understatement that he preferred remained a secret for as long as he could manage. But she wasn’t of their ways and his mother had taught him all about that when he was young.

Deciding to give her the privacy she demanded, Kylo huffed and lifted a wet hand from the water to cover his eyes as he leaned against the back of the bath casually. “No looking,” she hissed to which he nodded tiredly. Rey made quick work of undressing herself, her eyes never leaving his face to make sure he stayed true to his word. She still clutched the fabric against herself when she was completely nude, unsure of how to actually approach this now as she’d have to drop the clothing and get into the bath. With a deep breath, Rey finally abandoned her dress on the floor and quickly eased herself into the hot water that soothed her cold skin immediately. “Can I look now?” Kylo asked exasperatedly. Making sure her arms were crossed over her chest, Rey huffed out, “Yes.” 

He dropped his hand and met her eyes, never pulling them away from her face. “That bun’s going to have to come out.” Kylo pointed to her hair and rose from his sitting position, wading through the water over to her as Rey’s eyes widened and she quickly backed up, her shoulder blades hitting the edge of the bath. His wet hands were grabbing her arms then, forcing her to turn around as his fingers dug into the pinned up style and tugged the strands free. If her face wasn’t red before, it definitely was now. Her hair tumbled down her back and into the water and for a solid minute, Kylo was quiet behind her.

Kylo knew Rey wasn’t aware of the significance of a woman’s hair in their culture, but the long locks that sat on top of the water before slowly sinking down nearly gave him a heart attack. Even women in his _own_ village didn’t have hair _this_ long and he was starting to believe that every single inch of her was as beautiful as her face. Reminding himself of where he was, Kylo moved to the edge of the bath where a few combs were resting and grabbed the first one he found. “You know what a comb is?” he questioned as he moved back around her.

“Yes, I know what a comb is,” Rey growled back, lifting her arms so she could rest them on the edge while Kylo grabbed a generous amount of hair and began to drag the bristles through, careful not to tug too hard. He had to take a step back to fully brush through the strand and forced himself to not think about what she’d look like with a hairstyle of his people, even if he was going to give her one afterwards. “Does everyone bathe together like this?” She huffed, tapping her fingers against the floor as he continued to work behind her. “Usually women bathe with women and men bathe with men, but since I’m all you’ve got, it’s us.” 

They fell into silence again until he combed through all of her hair, tossing the brush to the side before he pulled away and let her be. Rey slowly turned and covered her chest yet again only to see the bath completely empty. “Kylo?” she questioned nervously, looking around the bath house that was suddenly extremely quiet. He emerged from below the surface a half second later, his hands running down his face then flipping his long hair back as he stared at her. “Mud doesn’t come off itself, you know.” Blushing at his statement, she waited until he turned around to do something else to go under the water. 

It was warm on all sides of her and for a moment, Rey just allowed herself to sink to the very bottom. She kept her eyes closed and released all of her breath, just sitting on the heated rocks at the very bottom as she let her mind run over every single thing that had happened so far. Her village had been pillaged and burnt down, she’d been captured by Vikings, one of her good friends died on the way over, she was separated from the women she called family, she was given to a man three times the size of her, he’d bought her clothes, and now she was bathing with him. 

When she opened her eyes under the water, hands were suddenly reaching for her and yanking her upwards. “Are you trying to _drown_ yourself? I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman so bent on risking her life,” Kylo seethed, his hands remaining on the sides of her arms until they both realized the upper half of her body was on full display from above the water. She tore herself out of his grip and quickly covered herself, even if he wasn’t looking, but his gaze flicked down to her arms anyway. A frown slowly spread across his face and he pointed to her left bicep, “Where’d you get that?”

Glaring at him, Rey glanced down and spotted the purpling bruises from Hux’s hold on her when she’d been captured and settled on a hateful face instead. “The redhead that brought me to you. He grabs a lot harder than you do.” With that, she turned around and went back under the water to scrub herself free of the mud that surely enough did rest on her skin. Rey didn’t come back up until she was clean and Kylo didn’t grab for her again while she was underwater. He just leaned against the wall and watched her as she grabbed her hair to pull it over her shoulder and expose what seemed like miles of her pale back. For someone trying so hard to not seem attractive, everything she was doing went against that. 

“I’ll kill him if you want me to,” Kylo stated when she turned to face him and cover chest. Rey blinked at his words and immediately furrowed up her face in confusion, “Who?” He shrugged, “Hux.” The color seemed to drain from her face and she quickly shook her head. “No, don’t do that. Why would you think you had to do that?” Pushing away from his side of the bath, Kylo waded back over and carefully turned her so that her back was facing him yet again. He grabbed her hair and began to work at it, thanking his mother for teaching him how to braid and do women’s hair so many years ago. 

“Technically you’re my property and damaged property can be dealt with through a battle.” Rey scoffed at his information and hissed a little when he tugged her hair roughly to braid the sides. “I can handle myself, it’s fine.” It was Kylo’s turn to let out a humored breath of air as he mumbled, “Believe me, I know you can handle yourself.” He continued to work at her hair for quite a while, tugging her this way and that way until it seemed like an eternity later that he finally pulled away. “Alright, let me look.” Rey turned around to face him and averted her eyes as Kylo soaked in her appearance. 

Two small braids rested on either side of her head with a thick braid at the very top, the ends of the smaller ones descending into her naturally flowing hair while the thick braid at the top fell into a fat and neatly woven pattern resting on top of the natural locks. “That’ll work. Alright, let’s get you dressed. We have things to do,” Kylo sighed as he moved around her and grabbed the edge of the bath, pulling himself out of the water with ease before moving back to his discarded clothes. Rey just averted her eyes and waited until he was covered so that she could order him to close his eyes yet again. 

The outfit she picked up was simple enough, a white under dress with a deep v-neck and long sleeves along with a pale blue cover up decorated with giant gold buttons where the thick straps and bust met. A brown leather belt finished it off and cinched her waist nicely, but it was strange to wear clothes that weren’t of her own culture. “Can I look now?” Kylo complained from where he sat on the bench. Pushing her hair off her shoulders so it could rest just above the swell of her ass, Rey mumbled a yes and nervously tugged at the sleeves while Kylo dropped his hand for the second time that day. If he wasn’t impressed before, he definitely was now. He hummed a bit when he took in her appearance, then nodded and commented, “Suits you. Now let’s get going. We have things to do.” 

She trailed behind him then, this time with the clothes in her hands as they began to walk back through the forest towards the village. “What exactly is it I’ll be doing for you?” Rey questioned while she followed the giant Viking who barely spared her a glance. “I usually need help with cleaning and tending to the animals, so that.” His voice was gruff and back to something bored sounding as they finally emerged from the woods and started in the direction of his house, although she supposed it was probably her home too. They caught a few more eyes when they passed through the village, but Rey was already starting to get used to their stares and whispers. 

The hike back up the steep hill left Rey a little winded, but she was thankful when Kylo pushed inside the log house and took her clothes from her to put in his own wooden trunk. He turned around then and crossed his arms, “Right then. You ever carried goats before?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wish i had a hot viking to take a bath with :(


	3. When He Dies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i got the idea of goat carrying from adam's vogue photo shoot, and???

“Oh, come here you!” Rey hissed under her breath as she reached out for one of the smaller goats and finally managed to snag a leg. Hauling it up, she huffed as she pulled its tiny body around her shoulders like Kylo had taught her to do. A week had passed since her arrival to the village and she’d already learned so much; goat herding, braiding, a few words for observable things, cleaning routines, and so much more. Kylo had even been kind enough to let her tend to things on her own despite such a short amount of time passing. Rey, however, had learned very little about the man himself except for the fact he was obviously not to be messed with.

During their bathing times together, which she was still hesitant about, she found herself staring at the little scars that littered his body and the big ones that puckered from larger injury. At night when they ate dinner, Rey found a new tattoo to ask about. Last night, she’d pointed to one that looked like a straight line with a sideways triangle attached to it and asked for its meaning to which he simply replied, “Protection,” then said nothing more. To be fair, she hadn’t spilled much about herself either and they didn’t tend to actually speak to each other much during the day.

Kylo was apparently needed down in the village to discuss things that weren’t for her ears, so that meat majority of her day was spent rounding up his flock of goats to lead higher into the mountains where they could feed. Of course, actually herding them was the problem and Rey had begun to realize the first few hours of her morning were dedicated to catching them one by one to trek up the slope and plop at the very top. And once she did get all of them up there, she’d only stay for about an hour to watch over them as they ate the green grass. 

Rey adored that hour alone, though. She could sit down just before the ground began to angle downwards and stare at the scenery around her. Kylo had said they were in a place called Danmark, but the vague knowledge she had of the land from home had named it Denmark. Either way, it was stunning. She’d never seen so much green in her life before and sometimes, if she was lucky, she’d watch the longboats depart and arrive from the dock to go out on some journey she would never experience. Part of her wondered every time they left if they’d come back with more girls like her or not. 

Rey hadn’t seen the other girls since they were split up and her heart ached to know what had happened to them. She hoped with all of her soul that they were alive and treated as well as she was. It was true Kylo had started to warm up to her some around the house, giving her glares that had no malicious intention every time she made a snarky comment about him or something that happened that day. He’d only accompanied her twice to the top of the mountain with the goats, much more experienced than her and very quick to say so. He’d even laughed the first time she attempted to catch a goat herself, but that was the only sound of enjoyment she’d heard from him the entire week.

The one wrapped around her neck now was the last of the bunch and she trudged up the side of the mountain until it eventually leveled out and the rest of the herd came into view. Setting the little one down, she placed her hands on her hips and watched as it bounded away to be with the rest of its kind. Sighing, Rey plopped down on the grass and pulled her knees up to her chest as she stared at the fog rolling over the mountain tops. An old lullaby Maz used to sing to her filled her head and she hummed it softly, closing her eyes for a few minutes to murmur the words under her breath and just… be. 

When the lullaby ended, she just started again and did it a few times before figuring it was probably a good time just to make sure the herd was still in tact behind her. Rey slowly opened her eyes and abruptly yelped, scrambling backwards when she spotted Kylo sitting relaxed beside her, his legs stretched out in front of him while he rested on his elbows. “I liked that. What’s it called?” he questioned, turning his gaze to her as she clutched her heart then acted out by slapping his arm angrily. “You gave me a heart attack!” Kylo just shrugged of her playful hits with a slight smile and sat up better, looking behind him at the goats that chewed mindlessly.

“Seriously, that song have a name?” Rey swallowed down her surprise and let out a deep breath as she settled back into her previous sitting position. “I don’t know,” she started with a whisper, “Maz never lived long enough to tell me their names.” Kylo frowned a little, his dark eyes scanning the side of her face as Rey stared out at the gorgeous scenery around them. “Was Maz your mother?” His question struck a nerve within her and she nibbled at her bottom lip for a long moment of silence. Finally, she turned her face to Kylo’s and rested her cheek on her folded arms over her knees before murmuring, “Yes and no. My parents abandoned me on the outskirts of the village I lived in. Maz was the one who stumbled upon me and took me in as her own. She couldn’t have children… called me her little gift.”

She rose to her feet then, picking up a thin stick that she could use to guide all of the goats back into a small herd so they could descend back down the mountain. “Did you have a birth defect of some sort?” he pushed from behind her, keeping his distance as he watched her round up the wicked four-legged creatures. Rey laughed at that and shook her head, “No. I was perfectly healthy. They didn’t abandon me because there was anything wrong with me, they just abandoned me because they didn’t…” her throat closed up a little bit as her words faded, but she forced the statement out under her breath, “because they didn’t want me.” 

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as she crowded the last stray into the group and began to work them down the steep hill. “Hux told me you’re good with a bow and arrow,” Kylo began from behind her as she carefully chose her steps, her ankles aching with the slope, “is that true?” She thought back to the man she’d killed with her arrow and the other she’d injured during the raid and looked over her shoulder towards the Viking that had woken up earlier than her. “I killed one of your men when you attacked our village. I had to protect my women.” 

He held her eyes for a second too long, but she forced her gaze away as her stomach did flips and tricks within her. _Why on earth did his eyes do that to her?_ It’d been happening much more often as well. “We’ll have to make a bow for you, then.” Rey did a full one eighty at that, whipping around so fast she lost her balance and almost fell down the side of the mountain had it not been for Kylo’s large hands that grabbed her arms and steadied her. His chest was flush against hers as she gazed up at him, her eyes wide and his eyes calm. 

“Y-You want to make me a weapon?” she squeaked before him. Kylo carefully let her go, then stepped around her to continue following the herd as she remained frozen in place. “I’m going to be leaving in a few days to go East with the rest of the clan. There is a wedding being held for an old member of our tribe and only the servants will remain. A few are trained to fight, but not many. Should anything happen, it would be nice to know someone can defend the house. Until I get one made for you, you can take mine.” Rey tripped over her feet as she hurried to catch up with him and she all but gawked at the side of his face as the earth began to level out to that of the elevation their home sat on. “You have a bow? Why didn’t I know this? You’ve only made me clean your sword and axe, Kylo.” 

He tried to hide the shiver that ran up his spine when she said his name, and he was thankful to the Gods she didn’t say anything if she did see it. “I don’t use it, that’s why you can have it. Might be a little big for you, but we can give it a go. Here’s some new words for you- _bue og pile_ \- bow and arrows.” She tested the words softly on her tongue and Kylo did his best to contain the smile fighting to cover his face at the sound of his native language with her voice. When the goats dispersed around the house and both of them made their way inside, she leaned against the entryway to his bedroom and watched as he bent under the bed to retrieve the weapon they’d talked about.

When he did pull it out, her jaw dropped at the sheer size and make of it. It was at least half her height and made of yellowing horns from a beast she hoped to never encounter in her life. Where the two horns met in the middle, a silver clasp held them together with carved Viking symbols all over it. The string was a pale white between the curved horns and when he brought it over to her, she could see runes etched into the bow itself as well. “You’ll need these if you want to use it.” He held a few arrows out to her of an equivalent size and she gently plucked them from his grasp, her fingertips burning when she touched his skin. 

“Can I…?” she trailed off with the question, looking up at him with dazed eyes as he gazed fondly upon her. Rey didn’t expect the emotion from him and blinked a few times, but he settled into something more emotionless after a few seconds with a nod. The went back outside and Ben pulled a knife from the back of his trousers, leaning against the wood of the house as he carved an X into its side and stepped away. “Lets see what you can do,” he mused, walking over to stand beside her from a good distance away. Taking in a steady breath, Rey pulled the arrow back with the string and straightened out her body, her right eye closing slightly as she focused on the marking and then let the arrow fly.

When the stone head landed perfectly in the middle of the X, Kylo took a step forward in shock. She lowered the bow and grinned to herself before meeting his awed eyes. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” She just winked and pushed the bow back into his lame hands before heading towards the house so she could start working on dinner for the night.. 

*****

“So who’s getting married in a few days?” Rey asked at dinner as she picked at her bread and drew her knees up to her chest. Kylo frowned at the way she sat, but said nothing as he ate the meat on his plate. “One of Hux’s cousins. They’ve been planning it for about three years now, so it’s important we all attend.” Rey blinked a little at the time span and set down her bread to question him further, “Why is it that long to plan a wedding? Sometimes we get married within weeks back home.” 

It was her Viking’s turn to raise his eyebrows at that and he leaned forward in interest. “Well, we don’t really marry for love like your people might. Marriage here is more based on… peace, so to speak. If there’s ever problems between two clans, it’s common to offer up a betrothal to settle tensions and bring the tribes together. There’s a lot of negotiating when it comes to how much for the woman, what happens with the man’s assets, what the families get, things like that. There’s also certain rituals that have to occur in order for the marriage to be considered true in the eyes of the Gods.”

Rey just waved him off and took another bite of her bread. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve seen girls fall head over heels for a pair of pretty eyes and marry the man a week later. Speaking of, why aren’t _you_ married yet?” Kylo tensed at the question and leaned back in his chair, obviously disapproving of her curiosity. “My parents have tried since I was a teenager to find me a woman, always dragging me into something and offering me up like fine jewelry when any tensions rose with other clans. I was always something to be put forward if anyone happened to have a pretty little maid available. As soon as I was able to fight, I went off to battle as often as possible so I could escape their attempts to wed me. I think they got the idea I didn’t want to marry anyone when I…” he trailed off then, his eyes glossing over as he thought back to something Rey obviously wasn’t invited to know about. 

Quickly cutting in to ease the growing strain between them, Rey murmured, “I know how you feel.” He flicked his eyes up to her, the crackle of the fire beside them the only thing filling the silence for a while. “There was a man in our village, Wexley,” she smiled a little in fondness while staring at her plate and continued, “and he was in love with me. He proposed to me once a year for four years in a row, each time with a different declaration of love and a different ring and a different hope that maybe that time I’d say yes.” 

Rey let all of the memories of his proposals fill her head and she let out a humored breath before Ben pushed, “And did you? Say yes?” Rey let herself meet his eyes then and she shook her head with the faint smile still on her lips. “No… Rose came to me in the morning as I was collecting eggs from my chickens, the same day we were raided by your people, and told me there were rumors he was going to propose to me again. That would’ve been number five. Obviously it didn’t happen though.” She took a sip of her drink then and glanced back down to their empty plates as Kylo stared at her.

“Why did you say no? The man was clearly in love with you.” Rey laughed softly and nodded in acknowledgement but tapped her fingers against the side of her cup as she thought about it for a moment. “Yes,” she finally decided on, “Wexley was obviously in love with me.” She flicked her eyes up to meet his intense ones and admitted, “But I wasn’t in love with him.” 

*****

The next day, Rey rose to her shoulder being shaken. Grumbling, she swatted the hand away until Kylo’s voice spoke softly, “Rey, come on. I want to show you something.” Huffing, she pulled herself up and wiped the sleep away from her eyes as she peered up at him. “What is it?” He seemed to smile a little as he took in her tired appearance, but the next time she blinked it was gone. “I want to show you something you might like. Come on, get up.” She nodded and rose to her feet, following half dazed behind him as he left the house and began to walk in the direction opposite of the village but level with the elevation their home sat on. “Where are you taking me, Kylo? The sun has barely risen,” Rey complained from behind him.

“Just come on or I’ll carry you,” Kylo growled over his shoulder, already getting fed up with her sour morning attitude. “Bite me,” Rey huffed under her breath as she crossed her arms over her chest. In the next instant, she was being swept off her feet with a yelp and carried bridal style in the direction of God knows where. “Put me down!” she squealed, beating her hands against his chest that barely felt the blows. He just smirked a little at her antics, remembering the day he took her to get clothes and threw her around his shoulders. And just like then, the hacking sound in her mouth filled the air and Kylo gave her a warning eye. 

“Tør du ikke,” he cautioned, _don’t you dare_ registering in the back of Rey’s mind as he’d taught her that expression a while ago. Pouting, she just crossed her arms again and watched the scenery go by as he expertly trekked alongside the mountain. A faint thundering sound filled her ears as they rounded a curve, the village and their home no longer in sight as he walked towards the heavy sound of rushing water. Rey’s heartbeat picked up from anxiety as they drew closer and she instinctively pushed closer against his chest for some sort of comfort. Kylo’s own heart warmed at her action, but he said nothing.

“Where exactly are we going, Kylo?” Rey whispered, her eyes blown wide as a suddenly gigantic waterfall came into view. He set her down on her feet then and observed her expression as she took a tentative step forward and gazed upon the icy blue water that spilled from the side of the mountain onto black rocks below, a cave barely visible behind it and a small lake resting where the water fell. “Wow…” was the only word that fell from her lips as she soaked it all in, but his towering figure pushed past her and started to head down the side of the slope towards the lake while he tugged at his shirt. 

She blushed a little when his milky skin and muscular back came into view, but followed after him as the roaring water grew louder and louder. By the time he was on the rocky shore, he was down to his trousers and started to work at the strings just below his belly button. Biting her lip, Rey grabbed at the dress she had on and quickly pulled it all off while he wasn’t looking, a giant grin spreading over her face as she left the clothes behind and sprinted for the water. “Hey!” Kylo shouted when she passed him and dove into the water to hide her naked self. 

When Rey breached the surface yet again, Kylo was smiling and tearing into the water as well, the depth already up to his stomach much to Rey’s relief. His pants sat in a pile at the shore and he pushed himself through the water towards her, only making Rey squeal with delight as she began to swim towards the waterfall to escape his grasp. “Get back here!” he demanded from behind her, the sounds of his effort fading out as the rushing water filled her ears and the spray from its impact on the lake below hitting her skin. It wasn’t as cold as she expected it to be, but it wasn’t warm like the bath house water was.

When she stopped right before the watery collision, she slowly stuck a hand out and let some of the rushing water hit her hand with a thunderous power. She didn’t think she’d ever smiled so hard before and when she tilted her head back to see just how high up the cliff was, water coated her eyes and forced them closed. Kylo’s body crashing into hers pulled Rey out of her spell as they fell under the water with a large splash. She pulled herself back to the surface with a laugh, pushing water towards his face once he emerged as well which earned her a stern look. Rey just giggled and silently admired the way his inky black hair clung to his face and showed off the big ears she secretly knew he had. 

“Not nice, Kylo!” she shouted over the water, pulling her hair around her shoulders so that it could cover her exposed chest and leave her arms free. “What do you think?” he asked breathlessly loud, turning his gaze up to the gushing waterfall that crashed while a faint smile ghosted over his open mouth. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Does it have a name?” Kylo nodded at her question and swam a little closer, leaning in to her ear as he hollered, “Skógafoss! Waterfall is called _vandfald_ ,” then pulled away with that crooked smile of his. Rey had never seen him so happy before and when she lifted her hand to push some of his wet hair off of his forehead, that giddy energy suddenly shifted to something more serious.

The smile faded to that of an open jaw, his panting filling the air between them as he stared at her face while she tucked the sopping wet lock of black hair away. Rey offered a small smile then and sank back under the water, swimming underneath the powerful flow of water to reach the cave on the other side. It was a giant thing with rocky ceilings as tall as the cliff the water was dropping off of, its glossy black surfaces coated with a thin layer of wetness due to the spray that carried through the air. Kylo surfaced beside her a few moments later and they both stood there admiring the cave for what seemed like hours. 

“Come on, I’ll help you up,” Kylo murmured, trudging to where the rocks began so he could pull himself out of the water. Rey was getting more and more used to casual nudity, which seemed to be very normal in their culture, but she still turned her eyes down when the lower half of his body was about to come into view. Kylo found her shyness amusing, but said nothing as he stuck out a hand and pulled her out of the water effortlessly. They sat on the edge, Rey’s hair draping over her breasts while she drew her knees up to her chest to protect her other half- Kylo just leaned forward with his forearms on his thighs so her own view was blocked. 

The water seemed quieter once they were behind it, but its beauty wasn’t lost from the new angle. “My father told me that he and my mom used to come here all the time when they were younger. My mother came over from your country willingly with a group of others who wanted to start a new life, but you can imagine how that went when they landed. The women were given away as bed maids and she became my father’s. It’s not allowed in our culture to marry bed maids or servants due to status, but my father basically said fuck it as soon as he became chief. They got married along the banks of this waterfall.” 

Rey stared at the side of his face as he spoke and twisted her eyebrows up when he said that his father had become chief. “Your father’s the chief?” she quested in confusion, tilting her head a little when he met her eyes with his own stern gaze. “Yes… I will take over his position when he dies,” Kylo looked away from her then and down to his hands in his lap, “that’s why they’re requiring me to go with the clan to the wedding. They’re hoping I’ll meet someone and marry before my father actually passes. I’m going to be gone for five days and probably very drunk so we’ll see how it goes.” Rey wasn’t sure why her chest hurt a little when he told her he’d have to marry someone, but she just reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder when words failed her.

It was the only show of comfort she could give him but he seemed grateful nonetheless as he offered her a small smile with appreciative eyes. “When I get back, I’m going to teach you how to wield a sword I think.” His topic change made her mind reel and she let out a shocked breath as he took in her reaction. “You’re really giving me a lot of options to kill you, you know that?” she teased, shoving him a little with her shoulder as she shook her head and looked back out at the waterfall. Kylo snickered a little and mumbled, “Yeah, but I’m not worried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing like a good naked waterfall moment am i right?


	4. You're Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're getting cute i love writing this hehehe

“Jeg ses snart.”

“Jeh see snaht.” 

Kylo groaned painfully and let his head drop into his hands as Rey just bit back a grin, very obviously butchering the sentence he was trying to teach her. “Du vil være død for mig, kvinde,” he mumbled under his breath. _You will be the death of me, woman._ “I thought it was pretty good that time,” Rey teased, leaning back on the wooden floor of their home as the fire crackled beside them. Kylo was leaving tomorrow morning for the wedding celebration and was trying to teach her a few things that could help her navigate the village while he was away. 

“I wish you were as good at picking up language as you were picking up a bow and some arrows.” She just laughed at his playful torment and leaned forward, grabbing his giant wrists so she could pull them away from his face, “Speaking of, when am I getting my own bow like you promised?” It was his turn to lean back and play with her then, faking a look of deep thought as he pretended to ponder. “Oh, I said that? When? I can’t remember…” Rey just huffed and rose to her feet, starting to leave the bedroom before a hand caught her calf and tugged her back. “Get back here, come on,” Kylo chuckled, pulling her hard enough that she stumbled backwards and fell right on top of his lap.

Yelping when she made contact, she slapped at his chest while he flashed that goofy grin of his and held up his hands in defense. “We actually have to run and get you a few things from the village anyway so _maybe_ we can stop by Finn’s.” Blowing her hair off her face, Rey eyed him suspiciously and crossed her arms in front of her chest while she remained cradled in his lap. “What do we have to get me?” Kylo shrugged and reached out to grab a tendril of her hair that was slowly starting to gain the thickness from braiding that the rest of the women in the village had. 

“Well, we have to get you some more dresses, a kransen, _possibly_ a bow, and I was thinking about buying some chickens to add to the house.” Rey blinked at the last statement and watched in a moment of silence as he began to expertly braid the small lock of hair between his enormous fingers. _The dreams she’d had recently of those fingers were not anything she wanted to talk about, though_. “Chickens? Like what I had back at home?” she asked softly, her eyes staring deeply into the side of his face as he focused on the action of his hands. “Mhm, those are the ones.” She swallowed thickly and suddenly reached up, the fire cracking loudly beside them as a log fell down into the ashes and sent some embers flying.

Rey’s palm was soft and warm on the side of his face and Kylo’s dark eyes found her almost immediately as the playful tone they’d had just moments ago shifted to something different. “Why are you treating me so well, Kylo?” Her voice was curious and quiet, a hint of something Kylo wasn’t familiar with buried underneath it all. She never removed her hand from the side of his face, his own heat spreading through her fingertips to course through her veins. And those eyes… so deep and frightening to everyone but her. She could get lost in them if she stared long enough, but he parted his lips and the small action quickly grabbed her attention. 

“I guess I just wanted to get you something that felt like home while I was gone.”

His voice was low and, _had they been getting closer?_ His lips were just a few inches away and when his gaze flicked down to her own lips, Rey held her breath. Kylo was the one to snap out of it then, dropping her braid still in his fingers and settling back into a serious face. Letting out the breath she was holding, Rey twiddled with her fingers in his lap and then asked when it suddenly came to her head, “What’s a kransen?” He coughed a little and shrugged at her new question, holding up his hands to move around his head as he explained, “Uh, it’s like a type of headwear, sometimes like a wreath? Flower kransens are made for special occasions like weddings, but daily life kransens are more sturdy and usually made of leather or something like that.”

She frowned a bit and nervously touched her forehead. “Well, what’s it for?” He sighed and waved his hand in the air as if her question was taxing to him before he huffed, “I don’t know. It basically shows the status of a woman, like if she’s unmarried or a virgin or something. I doubt you want to get married anytime soon, so we’re just going to get it for the other reason.” He chuckled a little bit at the first half of his statement but Rey just blinked at him with a confused expression before stating, “I’m not a virgin.”

Kylo halted his action of starting to braid a new strand of hair and locked eyes with her immediately. “What?” His voice was strained by the question and Rey gave an amused face before asserting again, “Kylo, I’m not a virgin. I’ve had sex before.” He blinked a few times at her statement in disbelief, this strong and fierce woman before him had given herself to someone before and the only thought that ran through his head was… _why wasn’t it him?_ “Was it… was it Wexley?” he asked slowly, recalling the name of the man who had proposed to her a few times. A small smile cracked on her face and she chuckled softly before shaking her head.

“No, uh… his name was DJ? I was very young, it was stupid.” She waved it off and turned her attention back to picking at her fingers as a slow rage boiled in Kylo’s stomach. Someone just… got to see her like _that_ and didn’t fall in love with her? “What happened with DJ? Did he propose afterward?” Rey let out a large laugh at that one and slowly clambered out of Kylo’s lap as she rose to her feet and brushed off her dress. “God, no. I was… sixteen? Pretty much the next day he was leaving the village for somewhere else. I’m sure I was heartbroken, but that’s when Maz started getting sick so I couldn’t really stay hung up on it for too long.”

Kylo stood as well and followed her into the kitchen where she began to put away their plates from breakfast and clean up whatever crumbs might have fallen behind. “She was one of your kind, Maz,” Rey tossed over her shoulder while she stacked their plates and walked over to the bucket of water on the countertop, “but she came from a place called Sweden. I think you called it _Sverige_. She was set up in an arranged marriage to a man she couldn’t stand, so the night before their wedding she got on a boat and sailed away only to land up on our little beach. It was only a few months later that she found me.”

He leaned against the doorway of the bedroom with his arms crossed, listening as intently as he could to her story because he knew this was one of those rare times she opened up. He didn’t dare to say anything as she began to clean off the plates and continue, “She got sick when I was fifteen, really, but it got very bad very fast around my sixteenth birthday. The only person with any medical knowledge in our village couldn’t even say what she had, she just… wasted away. She passed four months after I turned sixteen. I’m twenty-three now so you can see I’ve had to fend for myself for a while, but…” she turned around to face him, her hands still wet from the bucket of water, “Maz was the one who taught me to shoot arrows. She never got around to teaching me sword fighting.”

With that, Rey turned back to the dishes and continued to dunk them into the water before drying them off with a rag. “You said she was a Viking from Sweden? A few of our women have been married off to sons of chiefs up there. Very strong people.” She nodded silently at his words and set the cleaned off plates down to the side, only turning to face him once again when her hands were dried off and she could cross them over her chest. “Why are people so afraid of you?” Her question came as a bit of a shock to him, but he just ran a hand through his jet black locks and pursed his lips together.

“Uh, I fought a lot when I was younger, in my twenties. We’ll just say my experience with battle has earned me a reputation. Can we go to the village now or did you want to keep talking about stories?” Kylo grinned a little at her in hopes of dropping the conversation and she rolled her eyes, suddenly flicking her gaze over to the door before shouting, “Last one down the hill loses!” Rey sprinted out of the house, grabbing up her dress as she laughed and listened to Kylo swear loudly behind her and barge out of the home a few seconds later. “Not fair, Rey!” he cried, the sound of their racing footsteps filling her ears as a large, toothy grin filled her face. At the last minute, his giant figure passed her and he held up his arms in victory when she reached the bottom just after him.

“You always win at our little games!” Rey panted, pouting a little when he looked her way. “Would I be a Viking if I didn’t?” he countered, waving her over after they caught their breaths so they could go into the village. “Alright, how do you say hello?” Kylo prompted as they walked through the busy streets. “Um, Hej.” He nodded and took a left before continuing, “Please and thank you?” She scrunched up her face as she tried to remember but very questionably responded, “Please is vær venlig and thank you is tak skal du have?” Kylo raised an eyebrow, obviously impressed and nodded. “Good. What’s ‘Kylo, I’m going to miss you so much’?” 

Rey just glared at him with a small grin and shoved him lightly as they took a right and ended up on the outskirts of the village by a large barn-looking building. “Poe? Du her, kammerat?” _Poe? You here, buddy?_ Kylo’s voice called into the open barn where the sounds of different kinds of animals wafted out. Instead, a woman Rey knew immediately peeked around the corner and locked eyes with her. Nothing else mattered in Rey’s mind as she bolted past Kylo and instantly met Tallie in the middle while the thin woman all but sobbed at the sight of Rey. “Tallie, you’re alive,” Rey breathed, tears welling up in her own eyes as she clutched her friend tight against her. 

“You are too. The others? Have you seen them?” Tallie pulled away and held onto Rey’s forearms as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Rey wiped the wetness off of her friend’s face and shook her head, “No. I haven’t. But you’re alive and that’s what matters right now.” Tallie’s eyes nervously flicked to the giant Viking behind them and Rey looked over her shoulder at Kylo who stared back at her with an emotionless face. Swallowing thickly, Rey turned back to Tallie and whispered, “I’ll try to see you soon,” then pulled away to return to Kylo who remained quiet. She stood silent by his side, her tears never falling, and Tallie nervously stammered, “H-Hvad kan jeg give dig?” _What can I get for you?_

Kylo took a step forward, Tallie flinching a little before he said blankly, “Chickens, if you have any.” Tallie blinked quickly at the English, glanced to Rey, then looked back to the man much taller than her before nodding. “Of course, um, how-how many?” Kylo just held up a hand to signal five and her friend was disappearing back into the barn while he rotated on his feet to look at Rey. “This is one of your women,” he stated grimly. She didn’t tear her eyes off of him as she nodded and asserted, “She is.” 

His face softened just a fraction at the look of pride that washed over Rey’s face and he took a step forward, his hand carefully reaching out to rest on the side of her waist. His touch burned through the fabric of her dress as they both gazed into each other’s eyes and he murmured lowly, “You can visit her whenever you want. I’m not going to hold you back from seeing she’s okay.” Rey’s lips parted in surprise, his dark eyes staying put as he seemed to stare into her soul for all that she was. “Kylo…” was all she could whisper before Tallie returned with the chickens in a carry-able cage. “Here we go, five chickens. You used to raise chickens, Rey.”

Kylo pulled away then and took the cage from her before handing her the correct amount of silver coins from his pocket. “Yes,” he grumbled, “she did.” And with that, he turned away from the barn and Rey followed behind with one last look to her friend. They walked through the village for a while, her head spinning with how many turns they took as Kylo lead them to wherever he needed to visit next. “I can carry those if you want me to,” she offered as they turned down a much thinner road with more houses than shops. “With those little arms? You sure?” he teased, slowly slipping back into the mood Rey was getting used to.

“I’ll have you know I’m very strong.” He just laughed a little at that and eyed the sleeves on her dress that _maybe_ were a bit too baggy. Okay, they were pretty big. “This is why we’re getting you new dresses, too. Seems like a smaller size might be better.” Rey just pouted and stopped beside him as he set down the chickens outside a home and knocked on the door. “Kylling,” he stated suddenly. Rey just eyed him funnily and muttered, “Huh?” He pointed to the chickens in the cage and repeated, “Kylling. Chicken.” Rey hummed a little at the word and mumbled, “ _Kylling_ ,” under her breath as the door swung open. 

“Finn, det er godt at se dig,” Kylo greeted as he leaned forward and engulfed a friendly looking man in a hug, “Hør, jeg har en særlig anmodning, jeg betaler ekstra, hvis du kan få det til mig i morgen, før vi rejser.” _Finn, it's good to see you. Listen, I have a special request, I'll pay extra if you can get it to me tomorrow before we leave._ The man called Finn nodded and waved them inside, offering a small smile to Rey when she followed cautiously behind Kylo. “Hvad er anmodningen?” _What’s the request?_ Finn asked as they sat down on benches in the middle of the home, a fire burning brightly in a circle of stacked stones. 

When Rey looked around the house, she spotted dozens of tools and weapons and quickly realized this was the man that was going to craft her bow. “Jeg har brug for en bue og et par runder med pile til hende. Noget anstændigt, mørkere træ, et par runer til held og styrke og sånt.” _I need a bow and a few rounds of arrows for her. Something decent, darker wood, a few runes for luck and strength and stuff of that sort._ Kylo’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she observed the man across from them nodding mindfully. They continued to converse back and forth with each other until Kylo stood and stuck his hand out.

Finn said something with a smile and shook his hand back, then Kylo nodded to Rey and started to head for the door. She followed behind him silently but as soon as they were outside she pressed, “So? Can he do it?” He chuckled a bit at her insistence and nodded while he picked up the chickens. “Yeah, he’ll do it. Now come on, we need to get you clothes and a kransen.” Rey just huffed at his itinerary, but dragged her feet after him nonetheless. 

*****

Rey rested against the wall of the bath as she closed her eyes, the warm water steaming silently between them. She didn’t even cross her arms over her chest today, just letting the water hit every inch of skin because the wind was starting to get cold outside and their walk around the village had positively frozen her. “I wish you were coming with me,” Kylo stated out of the blue as she sunk a little deeper into the water. Cracking an eye open, she drank in the image of her giant Viking crouching in the middle of the pool and moving his arms by his sides as he stared off into space. “Mmm, gonna miss my company that bad?”

Her tone was teasing but when he said nothing back, the playful humor seemed to die a little within her. “Yeah, actually,” Kylo mumbled, “it feels like you’re the only one who talks to me like a person sometimes.” Rey sat up a little bit against the wall and let her eyes drift over is pale skin, the rune tattoos scattered and begging for her to ask questions about them along with every single scar. Nibbling at her bottom lip, Rey pushed away from the wall and walked forward, her hands pressing against the top of his shoulders so he would sink a little lower into the water. 

Kylo didn’t protest at what she was doing, he just continued to face away from her as she buried her fingers into his inky locks and started to wave thick braids throughout his head. “You’re getting good at this,” he sighed, leaning back against her bare stomach as she smiled a little and continued her skilled work. “I’ve got a good teacher.” She couldn’t see his smile, but knew it was there just by the way the sides of his face pushed up to show off his dimples. “When I get back I’m teaching you how to use a sword and we’re going to start lessons on the Gods. I might take you hunting, put that bow to good use.” 

Rey hummed in agreement but her mind was elsewhere. His hair was so soft and thick, warming the tips of her fingers and making her cheeks burn a brilliant pink as she tugged the locks into thick braids. Why was he suddenly having this affect on her all the time? This morning when he tugged her into his lap and grew closer… why had Rey wanted him to kiss her so bad? It didn’t help that he was freakishly attractive- long nose, full lips, angular jaw, scattered moles, dark eyes, tall, muscular- he continued to pull her in. And how well he treated her, that only fueled whatever emotions were building inside of her.

She wasn’t really sure when it started, maybe a week ago when he laughed at her for trying to catch a goat, maybe when he gave her his bow to try, or maybe it was their shared stories while at the waterfall. Whatever it was, Rey wasn’t sure if she should welcome it or not. They had captured her after all, and technically, she was Kylo’s bed maid. But he hadn’t entertained _that_ concept or any interest in it whatsoever. “Have you ever been in love?” she asked abruptly, starting to work on a second braid at the top of his head. Kylo let out a deep sigh and hesitated a moment before fessing up, “Yes. A long time ago.” 

Unfortunately, that was all he gave and Rey frowned a little. She didn’t want to pry, but now she absolutely had to- it didn’t help her stomach pinched with jealousy a bit. “Will you tell me about her?” Once again, a long silence greeted her and just when she thought that her answer was going to be nothing at all, Kylo started. “Her name was Jyn. She was bold, brave, and determined. You remind me of her sometimes…” Rey’s heart jumped at his words, but she said nothing in hopes he would continue. “She was from a tribe we went to battle with. We took her as a servant and she was dropped into my lap, even though I said I didn’t want her. 

“I’d joined the fighting to get away from any thoughts of women because of my parents, you know. But there was nowhere else for her to go in the village so I just took her figuring nothing about it. That woman… tried to kill me so many times the first month we lived together. Half of these scars are from her, I swear. But… I don’t know, I liked it somehow. I liked how set she was to get out, to escape, to kill her oppressor. So I tried finding middle grounds, found out things she liked so she would calm down, you know?” Rey’s throat was slowly getting dry because, _was it just her or was this oddly sounding like what was happening between them right now?_

“She started coming around after a while and everything just kind of… happened. One form of courtship in our society is the giving of purple flowers to a woman by the man and making a shirt for the man by the woman. Came home to a goddamn shirt on the table, but she was conveniently in the village doing who knows what. Took the opportunity to grab some flowers and when she came back, it was just like a tension snapped. Everything felt better and became better and stayed better for a long time, but…” 

Kylo trailed off, the smile on his face fading just as fast. Rey moved onto the third braid on the right side of his head and flicked her eyes over the side of his face as she worked. “But…?” she whispered, only pressing him for answers a little. He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged, “It was obvious she still wanted to leave. She wasn’t happy here. I loved Jyn and Jyn loved me but… she loved the thought of her freedom more. I found a small boat we never used and woke her up late one night. The next thing I knew, she was rowing away from the village by herself and I was just stuck there on the dock watching her leave.” 

Rey finished up the braids and with a stroke of her own courage, walked around him so she could finally look upon his face. Her hand was the first thing to touch him, his warm cheek filling her small palm easily. Kylo’s dark eyes flicked up to meet hers and Rey vaguely felt his hands reaching out to rest on her curved sides, the large fingers splaying across her skin and nearly touching on her back. “Did she ever come back?” Rey’s words were a whisper, whatever moment they were having slowly shifting to something intimate. “No, but I don’t think that was ever the point.” 

His hands were tugging her closer then and Rey’s breathing hitched when her bare chest met his, her nipples painfully stiff against his warm abdomen while she dropped her hands to rest above where they were touching. Hazel eyes stared into rich brown ones, Rey’s lips parted with anticipation while Kylo’s eyebrows were set into something serious. Who broke first, Rey wasn’t sure. All that mattered was that her hands were suddenly gripping the back of his neck while he bowed her back into him and devoured her lips.

Kylo’s lips were soft but firm against her and she had to gasp a few times for air, each breath only getting swallowed by him chasing her lips yet again. The hair she’d just braided fell apart underneath her fingers as she pulled the tendrils at the base of his neck, his own hands kneading the skin of her sides until he suddenly dipped down and picked her up by her thighs, backing them up to one of the walls of the bath. She sighed in pleasure as he began to trail heavy kisses down her neck, sucking an occasional mark into the skin as she wrapped her legs around him and held him close. 

“I don’t want you to go,” Rey breathed when he pulled away from her neck and decided to capture her lips yet again, his tongue slipping in this time so he could taste every inch of her. She was sweet on his tongue and he knew already that he was fucked- every goddamn inch of her was soft and sweet and supple- he had to touch and taste it all. “I’ll miss you,” he murmured brokenly against her mouth as she arched her chest into him. And when his lips began to trail down her chest, all Rey could gasp out was, “Just come back to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kylo leaving for five days for a wedding? what will he do


	5. That Means Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit's about to go down...

He handed the bow to her with curious eyes, watching the way her whole face lit up and she snatched it from his palm. “Kylo, this is… this is beautiful,” she cried, turning it over and over in her hands to soak in every detail she possibly could. There were runes carved into it that she didn’t know, but she figured she could pester him about it when he returned. “I don’t even know how to thank you,” she whispered, setting it down on her bed before she engulfed him into a hug. He had to bend himself down a little in order for her to wrap her arms around him, but he didn’t mind so much.

The night before had been… normal. 

Nothing had happened in their bath except for kissing, but he’d made sure to leave his mark behind in the form of purple bruises on Rey’s neck. They’d teased and shoved each other on the way back from the forest, her eyes the brightest he’d ever seen and her smile blinding. Even her rosy cheeks caught his attention as they talked about the wedding he was set to leave for. Rey had made them dinner and they discussed the couple to be wed, the festivities to expect, and the travel, but it was comfortable. 

It was obvious that they enjoyed their time together, but Kylo barely slept that night. All he could think about was Jyn, the bed maid he let go so many years ago, and how Rey was so similar to her. Part of him wondered if Hux had given Rey to him on purpose, just a subtle reminder everyone knew he’d helped a slave escape and they’d be watching him closely this time. For the first few days Rey had been with him, he hadn’t heard the end of it from his parents who ensured they’d keep an eye on the two of them as well. At this point, Kylo was screwed. 

Everything was moving so fast and he attributed it all to his still aching heart that longed for a fiery woman unafraid of him. Rey just happened to be exactly that and… it seemed she liked him back too. It was hard to fall asleep because the only thought going through his head was _what happens when she wants her freedom too?_ He’d woken up that morning before her and headed to Finn’s, still restless and plagued with emotion, but picked up her bow and arrows as nonchalantly as possible before calmly heading back to their home.

And now he was holding her tight against him as she thanked him again and again for the brand new bow. All good things have to come to an end, though, and before he knew it, Rey was helping him carry his things down to the dock where the rest of the village was gathered to load up six boats. “You have to tell me everything when you come back, I want no details left out,” she scolded as she handed him his small axe and second bag filled with clothes. “I’ll tell you every single second, I promise,” Kylo agreed, holding his hands up in surrender as they walked down a dock towards one of the boats on the far left.

“And you be safe, okay?” Her voice was softer with that question and when Kylo looked over his shoulder at her, he could see the worry behind her eyes. “I will. Take care of yourself for me, okay? I’ll be back in five days.” Rey nodded and handed him the rest of his things as he stepped onto the boat and made a pile of his stuff. “Oh, uh, _farvel_. That means goodbye, so… farvel,” he added at the last minute when she began to walk away. Rey smiled slightly and bowed her head as she hummed, “Farvel, Kylo.” With that, she headed off the dock to join the large crowd of servants and others who were staying behind. 

Hux clapped Kylo’s shoulder, suddenly behind him, and bent down to suggest lowly, “For your sake, Kylo, I hope the girl is here when we come back.” He stiffened a little at his friend’s words, his eyes never leaving Rey, and asserted, “She will be.” The boats started to depart only a few minutes later when everyone going to the celebration had loaded their things and said their goodbyes. The mass of people still on the shore lifted their arms to wave and holler things, Kylo weakly waving back when Rey extended her own arm into the air to see him off. It took a while until they could no longer see the village or the people on shore, but Kylo knew Rey hadn’t moved an inch until he was out of sight for her too.

*****

A tap on her back was what pulled Rey away from the docks, even though the boats had already rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. When she turned, her small group of friends had gathered with anxious faces that quickly bloomed into smiles when she gathered them all up in a group hug. “Kaydel, Rose, Tallie, Phasma… you’re all _alive_. Oh, it’s so good to see all of you,” she cheered softly, squeezing her eyes shut so she could just focus on the fact she was in their arms. They stayed in one another’s embrace for a long time until Rose pulled away and the rest slowly followed. “Rey, we… we have a plan. But we need you too if we want to pull it off.” Rose’s voice was low as they remained in their circle and Rey flicked her eyes over their faces, suddenly very confused.

_They’d just been hugging a minute ago, now there was a plan?_

“Okay, what’s the plan?” Rey asked hesitantly, starting to walk with the girls back into the village that had turned eerily quiet from lack of people. “We’re going to go to our houses and pack what little we can, then at night… we’re going to escape into the mountains.” It was Phasma who spoke next, her gaze searching for confirmation in the eyes of the other girls. Rey’s heart had stopped beating though. _Why did the thought of escaping terrify her so much?_ “I… I don’t know, I mean… I have th-things to take care of and-” Rey was cut off by Kaydel who frowned and stepped forward. “Rey, we’re slaves here. What part of escaping doesn’t sound good?”

She knew they were right. They’d never really be able to have lives here outside of taking care of homes and dealing with the wills of men, but Rey didn’t seem to mind when her thoughts drifted to taking care of Kylo’s home and dealing with him every day. “Rey, you’re the only one who knows how to hunt, navigate, and outsmart. They’re going to be gone for five days and it’s only going to get colder. It’s now or never- we can get a good lead on them and the weather. Please, it’s our only hope.” Tallie begged quietly, reaching out to hold Rey’s arms with pleading eyes. 

Her head was nodding and her mouth was agreeing, but her heart was pounding painfully in her chest. “O-Okay. We can meet at my place when the sun sinks below the horizon.” Rey’s voice didn’t even sound like her own, but the rest of the women were smiling and nodding in relief and pulling everyone back into another hug. They all dispersed then, heading off to follow through with the plan of packing their bags but Rey remained rooted to the grey stones below her on the shore. Every part of her was confused.

If this opportunity had been given to her a week ago, she would’ve jumped at it. But now… now everything seemed so different. His lips still burned on her own and his hands at her waist still tickled below the surface. His scent had become her own, his language was very slowly becoming hers, his house now sheltered both of them, and his life steadily accepted her into it. Kylo plagued her every thought and every moment as she didn’t mind it in the slightest. Was she any different than Jyn now? The woman who he loved but helped escape because he valued her freedom more than his desire for her to stay at his side? Rey’s feet began moving before she could stop them, but she felt dead as she trekked up the slope. 

Her bag was packed in under an hour and she spent the rest of the day tidying up the place, guiding the goats to the top of the mountain, folding his dried clothes, and admiring the new bow Kylo had gotten for her. Even the cluck of the new chickens outside made her heart ache. But the sun passed slowly in the sky and when the colors behind the mountain tops began to glow red, purple, and orange, she knew that it would be time to leave soon. Rey gathered up her new bow with shaky hands as well as the small bag full of food and warm clothes, then waited for the knocks to come to her door.

**Night One**

It was freezing as they ascended the side of the mountain. Their leather shoes slipped sometimes when the grass began to morph into jagged stone and rocks, but they managed to regain their grasp on the terrain and push forward. Rey had sliced open her palm on a jagged piece of earth when she lost her footing sometime back, but she’d torn off a piece of cloth from her dress and wrapped the wound before pushing on. The howls of wolves was ultimately what made them push for hours higher and higher until their muscles screamed for them to stop and they could no longer see what was okay to step on and what wasn’t. 

The group made camp on a very small flat area, all of them having to sleep sitting up with their backs leaning on the angled mountain behind them. Rey was thankful she’d brought the fur with her that Kylo had bought the first time they went shopping together and she was convinced that was the only thing that let her actually sleep due to the frigid winds. A distant rumble of thunder woke her a few hours after she had drifted off, but she found nothing in the sky and pressed herself back to the ground to fall asleep yet again.

**Day One**

They started the day by eating some bread and scoping out the land. The village was still somewhat visible below them and they guessed they hiked for three or four hours that night before stopping. Rose suggested trying to get to the very peak so they could descend on the other side while Kaydel tried to explain walking the length of the mountain until there was a lower elevation to cross over was a better idea. In the end, they went with Rose’s idea with the notion they’d be able to cross over it before the sun went down and avoid any bad weather at the top. 

About two hours into their plan, the sky turned a dark grey and the thunder Rey heard the night before came back with a vengeance. The pouring rain that came within fifteen minutes stung against their skin and they were forced to find any kind of shelter on the side of the mountain. Tallie spotted a small cave a few hundred feet to the left when they ascend a bit further and it was a rush to the protection in the next second. Rose slipped and thought she twisted her ankle halfway there, but Rey and Phasma picked her up and carried her out of the freezing rain so they could observe it better. 

Sure enough, her ankle was swollen when they pulled back her dress and nervous looks were exchanged for a brief moment. They decided to stay put and wait until the rain finished, pulling out food to nibble on while the thunder and lightning filled the air with powerful swells and startling flashes. Rey wasn’t sure when everyone fell asleep, all of them huddled together, but she found herself the last one awake after snapping out of the spell of watching the rain fall powerfully before them. She wondered how Kylo was, if there was any rain where he was celebrating, but didn’t let herself dwell on thoughts too much because her heart just started to ache again. 

**Night Two**

The rain stopped when the sun officially sank behind the horizon and the decision was made once everyone was awake to stay in the small cave and wait until morning. When Rey stepped outside only a few short minutes later, her foot sank about an inch into the mud and she nodded to herself, acknowledging even if they had decided to push on, they would’ve had to come back anyway. Her sleep was restless that night, her thoughts plagued with the image of dark eyes, full lips, and symbolic tattoos. 

**Day Two**

They trekked up the side of the mountain for torturous hours. The group took a break every so often, Rose’s injured ankle slowing them much more than they planned on. Rey managed to shoot a few rabbits hiding in little holes as they moved up the mountain, but her fingers started to numb from the frigid air by the time they hit the fifth hour of climbing. By now, her hands were needed to grasp rocks to hoist herself up the side of the mountain and any idea of stopping to rest had been thrown out the window when no flat terrain remained. 

If Rose needed to rest, they pressed themselves tightly to the side of the rocky cliff and waited until she was able to start putting weight on it again. At the seventh hour, a large flat platform greeted them and they decided to stop so Rose could rest and they could eat. The village was long out of sight and they made conversation by guessing whether or not it was easier to go up or down the mountain. Although there was still a few hours of daylight, they spent their time collecting nearby rocks to make a poor excuse for a shelter.

The sky was still dark with the threat of rain, but nothing spilled over them while they put the rocks together. They spent dinner watching the sunset while eating the rabbits Rey had shot earlier. Each of them shared what their experiences had been like with the Vikings and Rey found herself relieved to know none of them had been hurt or taken advantage of like they expected. Phasma shared a story of how she kicked Hux in the balls and when he tried to retaliate, she just punched him in the nose. They shared a laugh over that and huddled together as they watched the sun sink underneath dark clouds.

**Night Three**

The temperature dropped.

Dramatically. 

No one slept that night and they huddled as close as possible to avoid the chilling winds that seemed to eat its way to their bones. When Rose complained about her ankle starting to hurt again, they pulled her dress up to find it purple and borderline black. The nervous looks were exchanged again and Rey figured that was when the beginning of the end began. 

**Day Three**

They were almost at the peak when the first flurry fell. Rey halted them by holding up her hand, the steepness of the mountain waning just enough at this point that they could actually take a break if needed. All of their heads turned up to the grey sky and they watched as one by one, more white flurries of snow began to fall. It was a snap decision to have a group meeting right then and there as they pulled their dresses closer to their body and shivered through the freezing wind. 

The topic of discussion this time was whether or not to press forward or turn back where there was shelter. If they pushed forward, they could get trapped by the snow at the very top of the mountain and face being stranded, but if they went back down, they’d have to deal with the terrain that required them to climb alongside a cliff. When no one could come to an agreement, it was decided that Rey would be the one to choose what they did. She vaguely remembered a story Kylo had told her one night of them being snowed inside their homes when he was young, so she decided they should climb back down. 

It continued to snow through their decent and Rey’s fingers were a bright red from being exposed to such frigid temperatures. The snow picked up in its pace when they reached the cliffside they dreaded, but Tallie had made the joke it was easier to go down a mountain than go up like they had talked about yesterday. They scaled down the side as fast as possible, Rose barely hanging on and only motivated to continue because the rest of the group shouted their praises at her. Rey was the one who spotted a large cave they had missed on the side of the rocky cliff and they all made their way over to it so they could get shelter from the blizzard that raged around them.

The fire that night was the only thing that protected them from the cold, but the journey to ‘escape’ was starting to turn into an absolute failure. All Rey could think about was the goats and chickens that were probably freezing because she hadn’t brought them into the house like Kylo had instructed they sometimes did. She thought about him at the wedding celebration probably getting drunk and talking to other women and the jealousy that flared in her stomach almost made her skin warm.

**Night Four**

No one slept. The snow had started to blow into the cave and pile up. To save themselves from the wind and freezing flakes, they gathered what rocks they could and started to wall themselves up in the back. The fire had died a long time ago and now the only source of warmth came from one another. Rey prayed the snow would be gone tomorrow- they’d regressed so much from getting ahead of the clan coming back. Now she wondered if they’d even be able to escape at all. When they looked at Rose’s ankle that night, it wasn’t promising. 

**Day Four**

Someone was crying when Rey woke up. She blinked a few times at her surroundings and spotted Kaydel and Tallie clawing at the wall of rocks they’d built to protect them from the snow. “There’s got to be some way out!” Rose sobbed and it was then that Rey realized the rocks had frozen together and on the other side rested layers of snow that didn’t appear to be melting. She stood from her unexpected slumber and joined the other two in trying to pry the rocks apart, the gash on her palm from the first night not helping too much as she winced with the pressure.

Phasma tried to tug as well, but it was hopeless. Their only idea was to start a fire and hope the heat would unstick the rocks, so they worked together to light what wood they had left from Rose’s bag. After about an hour of waiting for the fire to melt the snow that had frozen the rocks together, they tried again and finally managed to make a big enough hole that they could start shoveling snow out of the way to walk. It wasn’t snowing when they finally reached the edge of the cave, but the world below was blanketed in feet of white.

The discussion that night was a harder one. Not much food remained and with the land covered in a freezing powder, it was obvious their escape attempt was failing miserably. Rose needed medical attention as well, but the conversation of trying to figure out a story for what could’ve happened just made Rose cry because it meant they were officially quitting their flee. They ate the last of their bread and meat and it was decided they would stay the night in hopes the snow would melt tomorrow, then descend back to the village the same day the clan came home. 

**Night Five**

They were out of firewood and with the temperature so low, it wasn’t an option to wait around without the comforting flames. Rey was the one who raised her hand and volunteered to go find sticks outside, the snow having melted enough that she could dig for things below its surface. They were hesitant to let her go, but acknowledged if anyone was to do it and come back, it would be Rey. She headed out before it got too dark, scaling down the side of the cliff to flatter land where fire wood would be, but slipped a few feet above flat land and hit her head hard on the ground below.

Dizzy and in pain, Rey pushed on and gathered twigs that had been blown through the wind during the snowstorm. Her hike back upwards was a blur, her whole head spinning and aching terribly. When she set down the firewood, she dismissed herself from the group to get some sleep, hoping she could just sleep off the pain her head was in, but found herself blacking out more than anything as soon as she rested herself against the rocky surface underneath her.

**Day Five**

The group woke up to the snow almost completely melted- everyone except Rey. When Phasma went to shake her awake, she spotted the dried pool of blood haloing her head and just about screamed. Everyone was trying to wake her then, begging for her to get up or say something, but she lay still. Her fall had left a gash in the back of her head, but when Tallie leaned down to hear a heartbeat, she found a very faint but still alive one. Any thoughts of escape were gone, the focus now was getting everyone back down the mountain safely.

Phasma was the one tasked with carrying Rey and they made bindings with the clothing in their bags so Rey could stay on Phasma’s back while they descended the cliff. The trek down took two hours, but they finally reached flatter land in one piece and began to push through the snow cautiously. Kaydel and Tallie helped Rose while Phasma held Rey tightly, their little band of women barely functional but still going through snow that piled up to their knees. 

Kaydel was the one who spotted the ships docking when the sun began to sink again and they pushed with everything they had to get back to Kylo’s home before he did. It seemed like a dream when they finally burst through the wooden door to the living room that still appeared in top shape- untouched. There was a lot of barking orders for a few minutes, rushing to get water and rags and start a fire as they set Rey down on the floor and began to conjure up the supplies. But by the time they all sat down around her limp and freezing body, the front door was opening and Kylo was stepping inside.

His eyes locked with Tallie’s who cradled Rey’s head in her lap, then his gaze turned to Rey who was currently sporting blue lips, a faint heartbeat, and a blood crusted head. Any life he had in his face suddenly died and he was striding forward then, picking Rey up from Tallie’s lap to pull her close against him with furious eyes. “Get out,” he growled, carrying her towards their bedroom with a purpose. The group hesitantly left the house, knowing they needed to get home as well, but it was Rose’s mumbled words that lingered with Kylo the most, “She didn’t even _want_ to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my fuckin god, she fuckin dead


	6. Now You're Interested?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this chapter moves fast but slow at the same time? covers a lot of ground :)

She was limp in his arms and freezing cold. Kylo didn’t know where to even start, his own heart had sunk through the floor and his blood had run cold at the sight of her on the floor, like a doe that had just been struck by an arrow. The fire had already been started in their bedroom and a small bucket with water and a rag sat out beside it, but he was stuck in the doorway as he cradled Rey in his arms and looked down at her. Her lips were blue, her skin as pale as the snow, and her hair matted down from blood. _Come on, Kylo, do something._ Without another thought, Kylo carried her over to the fire and sat both of them down as he held her, her clothes soaked to the bone from the snow they’d trudged through. 

“Rey, I need you to wake up for me, okay?” he stated firmly, letting her go carefully in his lap as he began to tug his warm clothes off and grab for the rag in the water. A list slowly formed in his head as he observed her: get her out of the freezing clothes, fix her head, warm her up, make sure she was alive throughout it all. “I know you’re going to be upset with me when you wake up, but I need you alive, yeah?” he continued, stretching as far as he could to grab the fur blanket from his bed only a few feet away. With that, he warmed his hands and began to undo the ties on her dress. Under any other circumstances, the thought of undressing her excited him, but all those thoughts were silent.

Rey looked like she was already in Valhalla in his lap, her limbs sagging with every movement being acted upon her. Kylo kept his eyes on her face, though, and finally pushed the sopping wet clothes far away before he gathered up her naked body and pulled her flush against his bare chest, his own warmth transferring over to her ice cold skin. Even he shivered when she made contact with him, but he willed himself to ignore the press of her nipples against him and opted to tug the fur blanket around her instead. “I’m going to clean your head. This might hurt a little…” Kylo hesitantly pulled her matted hair apart so he could find out exactly where the gash was, then began to dab the wet rag against the bloody area.

The first sign of life from her was the whimper that fell from her lips, but Kylo was just thankful she had done anything at all. “Jeg ved, det gør ondt, min modige pige, jeg ved det.” _I know it hurts, my brave girl, I know._ He continued with his work carefully, thanking most of his healing knowledge from times where he had to help his brothers, and even himself, during battle. When he was certain he’d cleaned the area enough, he grabbed at his shirt that he’d tossed away and ripped off some fabric as carefully as he could so as not to jostle her too much. His fingers gently pressed the cloth against the gash and he cradled the back of her head with his palm as the fabric rested below. “What were you thinking, Rey?” His tone, though somewhat betrayed sounding, came out more in soft worry than anything.

Her friend’s words echoed in his head again and it didn’t take long for him to get the idea that they’d tried to escape, probably up into the mountains with the wound Rey was currently sporting. He wasn’t sure how she got it though, but his mind was more focused on the fact that she hadn’t wanted to go. If his heart warmed a little, it was only barely because she wheezed in her unconscious state and suddenly went deathly still in her sleep. “Rey? _Rey_. Rey, I need you to wake up for me. Min modige pige?” Kylo questioned quickly, pulling away to stare at her lifeless face that was only barely starting to return to a normal color.

He shamelessly pushed his ear against her chest as he clutched her back and neck for support, listening for any sign she was still with him. Her heartbeat was faint in her chest, but still there, and he decided to move them to his bed where he could probably get her warmer. His clothed legs most likely weren’t helping with transferring heat either, so as he picked her up to carry her to his bed he kicked those off as well to leave both of them stark naked. Kylo could care less- he was too focused on bringing her back to him.

Carefully settling into bed so her small body rested on top of him, Kylo pulled the blankets over them while the fire began to warm the entire room. Every five minutes, he was pushing his fingers firmly into the side of her neck to check for her pulse as his mind went a million miles a minute. So they’d tried to escape, that much was certain, but everything became a guessing game after that. How far had they gotten before the snow hit? There wasn't any snow at the wedding when he was there, only at their village when they came back- a thick white blanket that only made him worry in the sense he hoped Rey wasn’t cold.

When she hadn’t been there at the docks to greet him like the rest of the village was, something had stirred in his belly with an upsetting feeling, but he tried to convince himself she probably just didn’t want to walk through the snow and get her dress all wet. That alone was convincing given how stubborn her personality was sometimes. But as soon as he walked through the door and saw all the women fretting around a body that barely looked like his Rey at all, excuses flew out the window and emotions jumped right in. Rey stirred on top of him for a brief moment, pulling him out of his thoughts, but he quickly rested a hand on the side of her face as his eyes looked her over.

Her cheeks had slowly started to turn pink again, as well as her lips, and even her skin seemed to regain some of that natural tan it held. “Rey? Can you hear me?” his voice was tentative as he studied her face, her eyelashes fluttering only a little before they weakly cracked open, her hazel irises barely visible. “Kylo…?” Her voice was soft and frail, her eyes not even moving as she stared off into space. “I’m here, it’s me,” Kylo confirmed, delicately taking her face in both his hands so he could bring her eyes up to look upon him. 

A dazed smile worked its way across her lips when she finally made eye contact with him, her left cheek nuzzling the palm that held it before her eyelids drooped again and she rested back against his chest. “Am I dead?” she whispered, no part of her moving yet. “No, you’re not dead. I’m making sure of that.” He threaded his hands slowly through her hair, careful to not hurt the gash that had stopped bleeding thankfully. “Are we naked?” Her next question was asked with a faint smile across her lips and she opened her eyes again, regaining some strength so she could tilt her head up to look at him. “Uh, we might be,” he admitted sheepishly, stilling his hands in her hair. 

She just sighed contently and let her eyes drift about the bedroom, eyeing the abandoned clothes, bloody water bucket, and crackling fire. Rey’s hand slowly lifted to reach for the back of her head, but Kylo caught her wrist before she could touch the wound there. “You did something to your head. I wouldn’t touch it if I were you.” Rey blinked a few times, her face seeming to drain of all color she’d just regained before she slowly met his eyes again, this time somewhat afraid. “Are you… are you mad at me?” she whispered, her eyes never breaking from his. Kylo let out a soft sigh, his palm cupping the side of her face once again as he shook his head.

How could he be? She’d never asked for this life and the very first day she showed up on his doorstep she’d chucked a knife at him and made a run for it. Even if her friend had said she didn’t want to go, Rey had still gone. For what reason, he wasn’t sure, but he knew he wasn’t mad at her no matter how much he figured he should be. “No,” Kylo finally stated, “no, I’m not.” She gave a small nod before cuddling herself closer to his bare body, his own skin starting to go cold from the temperature of her flesh. Everything suddenly became hyper aware to him in that moment though- her curled hands on his chest, her lower half just a few inches above his, their legs and feet intertwined, her head tucked below his neck. 

He willed himself not to think about it too much, already savoring the fact they’d kissed a little over a week ago and now she was willingly laying with him in his bed; if he looked hard enough, he could still see the faint marks of his lips on her neck. “They needed to escape,” she stated in the silence. Kylo nodded slowly and began to braid her hair as he waited for her to continue, not pushing anything and waiting patiently until she began again. “They haven’t been… hurt or anything, surprisingly, but… this isn’t a life they want. They knew they needed to get a few days head start and get over the mountain top before it got colder, and they needed someone to navigate, but…” 

Rey trailed off, her eyes glossed over as she stared at the fire. Kylo just let his nervous gaze drift over her face as he expertly braided the side of her head that wasn’t resting against his chest. Her skin was starting to warm greatly above him, but he didn’t think he’d mind if he was sweating- he’d still want to be under her listening to every word dripping from her lips. “Rain came. We found a cave for shelter but Rose messed up her ankle slipping on the way there. The ascension was slower then and we made it up the cliff side. The snow came later.

“We had to go back down to avoid getting trapped, but we ran out of firewood. I volunteered to get it but I… I slipped going down the cliff and fell hard. I kind of brushed it off, collected what was needed for the night, then went back up and blacked out. Now I’m here…” His fingers had stopped in her hair when she said she’d climbed the vertical side of the mountain that barely anyone attempted to scale. Even he hadn’t tried it because his father told him stories of boys trying for fun only to fall to their deaths. “And what do you want?” he asked lowly, his gaze now trained to the wooden ceiling above.

Rey shifted a little above him, peering down at him now as she folded her arms on his chest and rested her chin there. “What do you mean?” Kylo shrugged and fiddled with the strand of hair still between his fingers, “You said this wasn’t a life they wanted. What do you want?” She went silent then, carefully undoing her arms so she could lay flat on his chest once more and think about his question. Her answer was quiet but he barely caught it, “ _I don’t know anymore._ ” They rested there in silence for a long time until Kylo flicked his eyes back to her face and sighed with the realization she’d fallen asleep. 

*****

“What was the wedding like?” Rey’s question was what woke him the next morning, light seeping through the window over her bed so that it could spill upon them in his. The fire from last night had burned out safely, much to his relief, but she still laid on top him as if they’d been sleeping like this all the time. Kylo hummed a little bit in acknowledgment of her curiosity and wiped the sleep from his eyes before he met her gaze. The bed was warm around him and without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and groaned before moving them onto their sides so she was facing him and he was facing her. Rey just giggled a little and rested her hand on the left side of his face as he still tried to blink away sleep slowly. 

“It was good, though I must admit I don’t remember as much as I said I would.” She playfully pouted at his statement, _tsking_ at him under her breath. “You said you’d tell me every second. I was really counting on that.” Kylo just puffed out a breath and tried to string together a coherent idea of what it was like with as little words as possible. “Boats, flower kransens, alcohol, racing, eating, dancing, singing, fucking, all the usual things.” Rey seemed to still a little bit in his grasp when he murmured the last word, but he caught on quickly and wagged his finger at her with his eyes still closed, “Not me, min modige pige, the couple.” Rey just shoved him lightly and huffed out, “I don’t care if it’s you or not.”

Kylo just hummed a little and pulled her closer before musing, “Then I guess you don’t care to know the groom has a sister who very much wanted my attention and that her father very much wants us to be married.” She tried her best to fight off the jealousy blooming in her stomach, only shrugging and mumbling, “No, I don’t…” He couldn’t help but smile at how stubborn she was being, his arms around her small body giving a firm squeeze that made the breath escape her lungs. “Did you… like her?” Rey’s tiny question made him roll his eyes and finally open them, the hand dangling around her waist gently taking her face so she could look at him. “Rey, you’re terrible at not trying to be jealous.” The words barely escaped his lips before he was kissing her, pulling her soft mouth against his like he’d been dreaming of doing for days.

Rey all but melted in his grasp, a soft sigh escaping her nose as she willingly kissed him back, his tongue slipping in to taste her only a few moments later. Her tiny hand wove itself into the side of his long hair, the messy braids that rested there only becoming more untangled the harder she grasped the inky locks. They only broke away a few times for breath, their lips finding each other again and again until his head was spinning with the taste and touch of her and Rey could no longer catch her breath. When they pulled away finally, he rested his forehead against hers and stared deeply into those hazel eyes that had managed to capture everything that he was within a span of two weeks. 

“I don’t like her,” he whispered in their small, shared space, “jeg kan lide dig.” _I like you._ She just smiled, even though she didn’t know what he said, and snuggled back into his chest. The day seemed to fly by after that- the stories he managed to remember from the wedding making her laugh and smile more than he’d ever seen. At some point, later in the day, they started to talk about traditions and culture and eventually religion- Rey admitting she was never really a good Christian, as seen with DJ, and was quite interested in what the Vikings worshiped. That had led them to the topic of the Gods and Goddesses after a filling lunch, still wrapped up in his bed and still very much nude. 

“So there’s the Aesir, one of the two main tribes of deities, and the Vanir, which is the second tribe. Odin, Frigga, Loki, Thor, they’re all from the Aesir and they live in Asgard. Asgard is just one of the nine worlds, the others being Niflheim, Muspelheim, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Helheim. They’re all held up by the branches of the world tree, Yggdrasil. The Vanir live in Vanaheim, but we aren’t going to focus on them too much. So let’s see… we’ll start with Odin, the Allfather. He-” Rey pouted a little and pulled the blanket closer to her body as she sat across from Kylo in bed. “Why not? The Vanir sound cool,” she pressed like a child, her eyebrows drawing up into confused wrinkles.

Kylo just smiled and shook his head, “Well not much is known about the Vanir, just the deities within them and the war between the Vanir and Aesir, but we can talk about that later.” Rey nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip a little as she leaned in and waited for him to keep going. “Odin is the Allfather. He is the most powerful God in Asgard and is married to Frigg. He takes many names because he can take many forms. He is associated with healing, death, royalty, wisdom, battle, sorcery, poetry, and the runic alphabet. Odin lives in the house called Valaskialf which has this tall tower and at the top he has a throne called Hlidskialf where he can see throughout all the nine worlds.”

Rey just shrugged and muttered, “Sounds like a dick.” He gave her a pointed look for that one, leaning back against the headboard of the bed as he crossed his arms and offered, “Well what do _you_ want to hear about then?” She dramatically fell over on her side and groaned while she pulled the blanket over her head and grumbled, “Something fun or interesting.” He grinned at her small tantrum and pretended to think as he started, “You might like Frigg. She’s married to Odin, she’s a sorcerer, she has the power to see the future but never says what she sees. A lot of people think she may also be the Vanir Goddess Freya, but that’s just-”

Rey flicked her eyes over to him immediately at his words and he cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, now you’re interested?” But she just nibbled on her lip and looked away in thought, as if the words were just on the tip of her tongue but she wasn’t sure how to say them. “Well if all I had to say was Frigg then-” “That’s my name.” Her voice was barely a whisper, accompanied by worried eyes, and now Kylo was furrowing his own brows in confusion. “Uh, Frigg?” he questioned cautiously, looking over her face as she shook her head. “No, _Freya_. Maz always called me Rey, but Freya is _my_ name.” 

His heart skipped a beat for a moment as he took her in, her glossy hazel eyes finally flicking over to meet his gaze as she sat up slowly and pushed lightly, “What do you know about Freya?” Kylo just blinked and tried to rack his brain of all the knowledge he had on the woman, not very much coming to the surface. “Well… she’s the Goddess of love, technically, and she’s from the Vanir. I think her name overall just means lady, but she’s very beautiful. During the Aesir Vanir War, she and two other Gods were sent to the Aesir as a truce and the war ended. Many think she and Frigg are the same person as well as her husband Odr who may be Odin but… that’s really all I know.”

Kylo’s mind was racing with information. Rey was from England, had never heard of their religion before, didn’t know her parents, and had been raised by a woman from his culture that had fled a forced marriage. Something about it all seemed strange… but he doubted she knew much about it either. “Well, Maz gave you your name and you said she was Pagan, she probably just wanted to call you something that reminded her of home.” That seemed to relax her a little and she nodded, a heavy sigh falling from her lips. “You’re probably right… Goddess of _love_ , though?” The grin that spread across her cheeks made him roll his eyes and laugh, his own nerves dying down at how curious she’d become.

They talked for hours about the Gods and Goddesses, her wide eyes staring at him in interested while she soaked up every detail. Every battle, every relationship, every story seemed to stick with her as she repeated past information back to him when he started talking about something that related to it. By the time he was lighting a fire for the night, Rey was laying on her back staring up at the ceiling as if her mind had just gone to a different space and time. “Maybe Thor was punishing me for leaving by giving us that storm,” she teased as he tried to stoke the flames.

Kylo chuckled and little and rose to his feet, his trousers loosely hanging around his bare hips. “Maybe I should punish you too,” he teased with a smirk, reaching down to the bucket of water and strips of fabric that rested on the floor beside him. “Alright, let’s take a look at your head. Sit up for me.” Rey brought herself up and turned, ignoring the way her cheeks burned red at the punishment statement, carefully parting her hair as he removed her latest bandage and peered down at the gash that was looking far better than it had the night before. “How’s it look?” she asked tentatively from below him. “A lot better. Still gotta change it out though.”

Rey sat still while he dipped some cloth in water and began to dab at the gash still sporting some blood here and there, only wincing a few times when he got closer to the opening. It wasn’t that bad, not as deep as he thought it was, but it still made him grimace when he pulled the wet cloth away and tossed it to the side. “Alright, last part.” She hummed a little at his words and waited for him to carefully rest the narrow piece of fabric against the wound, only pressing as hard as he needed to to ensure it wasn’t going anywhere before he let her hair fall over it again. “Helt færdig.” Rey said brightly, her words _all done_ surprising Kylo because _fuck she was learning fast._

“Now, what did you say about punishing me for running away?” The sly tone in her voice coiled something deep in Kylo’s stomach as he shot her a warning look when she turned back around to watch him put the water bucket back by the fire. “I don’t know if you want to play that game, Rey,” he warned, started to walk back towards the bed while he undid the top strings on his trousers one by one. She just bit her lip and watched, leaning back against the wall with the blanket drawn around her naked body. _Since when did he put on pants?_ She couldn’t remember. But Kylo wasn’t shy like most people would be, he just continued to undo the strings and eventually shucked the things down his legs when she didn’t say anything, cocking his head to the side as she took him in 

Sure, they’d bathed together and she’d slept with him naked but Rey had never really _considered…_ She could feel her cheeks flaming with heat as he raised an eyebrow and grinned a little at her shocked expression. Buried under a neatly trimmed mass of black hair starting from just below his belly button was the biggest cock Rey had ever seen in her entire life and her whole body was reacting to it in a way she’d never imagined. Thick in the sense she might not even be able to wrap her hand around it, long enough that it fell just short of mid thigh soft, and flushed an enticing pink at the very tip, Rey wasn’t even sure if it could fit inside _anyone_ , let alone her. The area between her thighs slowly became wet and the skin she’d been frozen in only a day ago now fell victim to a warmth unlike any other. 

“I think I might want to play that game,” she squeaked, finally looking up to meet his eyes which were dark and trained on her. He just gave a playful smile before walking over to pull back the covers on the bed then slide under and stare at her. He didn’t have to say anything, Rey gently let the blanket slip off her shoulders before she moved her way under the covers as well and swung her leg over his lower half. From above, he looked so helpless below her, Kylo’s hands hesitantly running up her thighs until he rested them on her hips. It felt strange to have her tits so exposed like this, the warmth of the fire unable to stop how stiff her nipples had become. But of course, Kylo’s eyes were trained only on Rey’s face and all joking had been set aside for something more serious.

“You’re injured, Rey. I don’t know if-” She cut him off by dipping down abruptly, her lips pressing passionately against his as her small hands drifted over the muscle underneath his shoulders. Her fingertips could feel the ink of a few rune tattoos below the surface of his skin, but it only turned her on more and she fought off the violent blush creeping across her cheeks when her obvious wetness was beginning to pool on his happy trail. He gave in to her kiss, one hand drifting up the small of her back to bring her closer as she gripped him for stability and pushed her tongue against his. It suddenly seemed like the fire wasn’t the source of the heat filling the room.

With a gasp, Kylo flipped them over and gently rested her on the pillows, mindful of her head, and hooked his hand under her thigh so he could spread her legs and situate himself between her. Rey’s hazel eyes blazed below him, her lips already swollen and cheeks flustered and _fuck…_ if Kylo wasn’t already mad for her, he certainly was now. “Jeg synes, du er den smukkeste ting, jeg nogensinde har set,” _I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen_ , he whispered, gazing upon her face like it was the last time he’d ever see it as her hand delicately cupped the side of his face. “I know you do,” Rey breathed back before tugging him down to her lips yet again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> perhaps some sexy time in the next chapter? *insert eye emojis*


	7. So Good for Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright, here it is... the smut.

He was hot and heavy above her, his body the only thing grounding her to the earth as his lips trailed down her neck and sucked the soft skin there in between his teeth. Rey’s fingers dragged up the toned muscles of his back and dug her nails into the warm flesh as he ground himself into her, his cock already hard between her legs and very much a welcomed thing. She wasn’t sure if it was the fire or just the way he was making her feel that had her sweating already under the covers of the bed, but Kylo seemed to sense her heat and angrily threw the coverings to the floor so their naked bodies could cool down without the temperature slowing them down.

“You’re so beautiful, Rey,” he growled into her neck, pulling away so he could attach his lips against hers once more while she gripped every inch of his back she could find. Her legs were spread wide to make room for his large body and the wetness that pooled between her legs made it easy for his cock to slide between the folds of her cunt, an action that made her whimper a few times and pull him closer. One of those giant hands she’d dreamed about took one of her tits firmly in its grasp and without another moment to spare, Kylo was working his lips down her chest to latch onto the blush pink nipple that stiffened below his touch.

When his mouth pulled the sensitive bud between his teeth, Rey moaned loudly and contorted her warm body below him, her back arching to push herself further into his mouth as her fingers found the thick black locks curled on top of her head, her grasp disheveling what remained of any braids he kept on the side of his scalp. He groaned at her grip, his thick tongue giving a lazy lap over her abused nipple before he moved to the other one and let his thumb flick the still sopping wet bud now abandoned.

“Fuck, _Kylo…_ ” she breathed, panting below him as he flicked his tongue around the one of prettiest tits he’d ever seen in his life. Of course they were perfect, it was Rey after all. Small enough that he could cover one with his entire palm but rosy, perky, and soft, Kylo just about lost his mind at the sight and taste of them. He never wanted to touch another thing in his life, but her cunt was still something he had to pay attention to and part of him wondered if he might bust the second he finally looked at it. Kylo held off, though, taking his time with her chest which were slowly growing more and more pink from the flush she often sported when embarrassed.

The sounds falling from her lips were sickly sweet and soft- music to his ears- and Kylo finally willed himself to pull away so he could kiss her yet again. She moaned quietly into his mouth as he grasped her throat firmly in one hand, not enough pressure to cut off her air but enough to let her know who was in control. His dark eyes found her when he pulled away, his forehead dropping to hers as he began to grind himself into her sopping wet cunt. Rey’s usual bright, hazel eyes had turned to a dark green from lust and her cheeks burned a brilliant pink, her full lips parted as she gasped for breath just from his touch alone.

“I’m trying so hard to hold myself back from breaking you, min smukke pige ( _my beautiful girl_ ), but you’re so fucking tempting,” he said painfully, screwing his eyes closed as he reveled in the feeling of her wet folds slicking up his cock and begging for him to stuff her full with every single inch. 

Rey just reached up and cupped the side of his face before panting out, “Break me, Kylo. I can t-take it.” Something inside of him snapped at the innocent tone behind such dirty words and he began to trail hot kisses down her tanned skin that glowed under the flickering light of the fire to the left of them. Her fingers found his hair yet again and the closer he got to her navel, the tighter her fingers wound into his locks.

Rey had never felt the amount of pleasure she was feeling now and they’d barely even done anything. The injury at the back of her head had vanished into oblivion, the only feeling coursing through her veins that of desire and need. She needed to hear his praise, she needed to feel his tongue on her cunt, she needed to feel him inside of her. Every part of her ached for him and when his mouth finally found her heated core, her vision nearly went black and the only thing anchoring her to the bed was his large hands pinning her thighs firmly to the bed. “Oh, _Kylo!_ ” she cried, her back bowing from the bed when his tongue licked a fat stripe between her soaked folds to taste the wetness gathered there. 

She was sweet and tangy on his tongue, a flavor hidden between the toned legs he’d stared at so many times during their bathing times together. Had he known the gift currently sitting on his tongue had been trapped there all along, he would’ve gotten on his hands and knees and begged her for a taste the minute he knew it existed. Kylo knew her tits were delicious, but this was something else entirely. He found her eyes from his position between her cunt, her pupils blown wide and chest heaving as her fingers curled into his hair hard enough to ache. “You taste so fucking good, Rey…” he praised heavily, diving back in as soon as the words came out so he could abuse her clit with wild flicks of his tongue just below the dark patch of neat curls.

“N-Need… fingers…” she whined above him, squirming under his mouth as he continued to drink from her like her juices were the only sustenance he was ever going to have again. Obeying her command, he released one of her thighs and carefully pushed a finger inside of her, Rey’s velvety walls clamping around the digit as he sunk it further and further into her wet entrance. The sigh that fell from her lips in pleasure validated that Kylo was touching her exactly how she wanted and when he curled the finger deep within her, the resulting cry only made his cock twitch with need. 

The combination of his hot tongue relentless on her clit with his finger working inside of her like he knew exactly where her weak spot was began the tightening feeling in her stomach and Rey quickly begged for another finger before the coil snapped within her. She was writhing below Kylo and the second finger inside of her caused a high pitched whimper than only made him pick up his pace of thrusting his fingers in and out of her. Slick juices coated his fingers and dripped down her thighs, positively making a mess of the bed, but Kylo’s tongue was there to lap it all up before he twisted the digits deep inside of her and stroked the soft spot within her silken walls. 

“Fuck, _fuck_ , oh Kylo…” Her words were a jumbled mess and the feeling of her orgasm growing closer and closer made her pull her legs up until her knees were nearly touching by her chest and his fingers were hitting deeper. The ache on his scalp from her grasp didn’t stop his merciless finger fucking though, and as he gave a final deep curl within her, the tight coil in her stomach snapped and gave way to one of the most intense climaxes Rey had ever had in her life. Stars danced behind her vision and her thighs quivered beside his head, her toes curling over and over again as she held him down against her.

Kylo just continued to pump his fingers in and out of her, his tongue catching every single drop that spilled out of her and coated his hand. When Rey finally came down to a limp and panting state below him, Kylo moved back up her body and pushed his lips against hers, his tongue sharing the taste of her sweet cunt as she openly accepted it and pulled him close. “I want to fuck you. _Hard_ ,” Kylo growled lowly against her mouth as his hand reached back down between them and began to roll over her sensitive clit. Rey cried weakly below him and shied away from his touch, but he followed her persistently and swallowed her sounds with his mouth.

“ _Please_ ,” she mewled into the open air of their home when he finally pulled his hand away from her overstimulated cunt and shoved the fingers into his mouth. “I want you on your hands and knees, min smukke pige." _My beautiful girl._ She complied eagerly, rolling over onto her stomach while he backed away on his knees and admired the sight of her slick covered thighs and round ass quickly lifting into the air while she arched her back to bare everything to him. Kylo’s hand was warm on her right cheek, his eyes wide as he soaked in the image of her round and toned ass on display just inches away from him. He never thought he’d get this far this fast, let alone at all, but yet here he was and there she was.

“ _Please_ , Kylo…” Her voice was desperate as she fell down onto her elbows, obviously still weak from the orgasm he’d given to her minutes ago. “I’m going to fuck you hard, min smukke pige. I want you to know who owns you, who can do this to you. I don’t want you to walk tomorrow. I want you bedridden when I’m done with you.” Kylo’s words sent shivers down her spine and while she knew she should be frightened at the thought of him owning her, she wanted nothing more than to serve him and be his and let him have every single inch of her body and soul. His fingers sank deep into her cunt again, a soft whimper falling from her lips as her head dropped to her crossed arms.

Rey was a pleaser though, pushing back on the thick digits before he suddenly ripped them away and spanked her hard on her ass- the jolt of pain mixing perfectly with pleasure in a way Rey had never experienced. Kylo’s free hand pressed firmly between her shoulder blades to hold her in place before he dipped two fingers back inside of her, then pulled them out as soon as the tension began to build again inside of her only to smack her other ass cheek harshly. Rey cried softly into the pillow below her, but pushed herself back against him for more, this sequence continuing a few times until the spank itself was what brought her second orgasm and she was shuddering underneath him while Kylo rolled his fingertips easily over her clit to draw it out. 

“That’s it. What a good girl. I think I’ll reward you now,” he praised lowly from behind her, easing up on her shoulder blades so he could grasp her hips and position himself behind her. She was dripping wet, thick rivets of slick juices coating her inner thighs as well as her sweet cunt and Kylo swore he’d never seen a prettier sight in his life. Sure, he’d fucked girls before in secret- _because let’s face it, who the hell followed cultural norms anyway_ \- but none of them had quite stirred his insides like Rey did. This beautiful woman, so strong and brave now lay ass up below him, panting for air and begging for him to fuck her. If that didn’t make his heart beat a little faster, he wasn’t sure what did.

He took his cock in his hand and let it glide between Rey’s slick folds a few times, her soft moans below him only making his cock ache even more before he finally pushed the tip against her entrance and began to push inside. Rey was tight and warm and wet, gripping him from all sides as he pushed deeper inside of her. She felt like she was being split in two- his length impossibly thick and long. Kylo just seemed to keep going and when she felt like she could take no more, her womb aching as he jutted against it and stretched her, he finally bottomed out and remained inside of her like that for a few moments so she could adjust.

Rey’s little hands gripped the pillow underneath her head and she finally pleaded, “Move,” before he took her hips more firmly in his hands and pulled out. _Fucking hell, she was so goddamn tight_. He groaned as he pulled halfway out then thrust back inside of her ruthlessly. The gasp that fell from her lips spurred him on and Rey held onto the pillow for dear life as Kylo began to snap his hips hard inside of her. His fingers on her hips were sure to leave bruises the next day, but she could care less about that because he was impaling her again and again until stars danced across her vision and all she could feel was his cock hitting deep and vicious inside of her. 

“ _Kylo_! Harder… _oh_ , don’t stop,” she whined pitifully from below him, pushing her ass against him every time he thrust forward. One hand left its spot on her hip and struck her ass sharply, a weak cry spilling from her mouth before he lurched forward and grasped her braided hair, pulling her upwards so she had no choice but to rise up and rest on her hands. He was still mindful of her injury, though, only holding it tight enough to keep her on her hands without really yanking her. “Look at you take my cock like the god lille pige ( _good little girl_ ) you are. So good for me. Fuck…” he groaned behind her, his hips unrelenting and powerful.

She was a mess below him, every part of her aching and getting closer to the edge of a third climax. “Fuck, I think I’m gonna… I’m gonna come,” Rey moaned breathily as she continued to take his abusing thrusts. She definitely wasn’t walking tomorrow and he made certain of that as his cock hit something deep inside of her that sent a dull ache through her lower stomach, but Rey craved the feeling and pressed herself as often as she could against his unrelenting hips. The pressure in her stomach snapped yet again and Kylo let her hair go as she collapsed on the bed, her arms finally giving out below her as she quivered violently below him and spilled incoherent words from her lips.

Kylo thought he managed to catch _fuck, Kylo,_ and _so good_ from her words, but all he could focus on was the fact he was about to come as well. And still like the good girl she was, she kept her ass in the air and took the devastating blows of his palm spanking her ass before he pushed himself deep within her and stilled, his cum spilling into her as he moaned lowly and held her firmly against his hips. “Fuck, Rey, so good… so good for me,” he huffed, his cum filling her so much it began to leak out of her and drip down her thighs, mixing with her own clear juices as well.

He pulled out only a few minutes later, crumbling beside her as they both gasped for breath and tried to come down from the sex they’d just had. Rey seemed the most blown out of both of them and knowing he had to do something about it, Kylo finally pulled himself from the bed and grabbed the bucket of water and cloth meant for her head from beside the fire. He pulled a bigger strip of fabric from the small pile and dunked into the bucket before he wrung it out and padded back over to her still face down body. “Can you spread these for me, kæreste ( _sweetheart_ )?” he murmured sweetly, his palms running over her worn out thighs. 

Rey just whimpered at the touch but complied, her hazel eyes dazed as she watched him drag the wet cloth between her legs and clean the mess he’d made of her. She shivered the closer he got to her cunt, but he carefully cleaned her as best as he could without torturing her overly sensitive area. Kylo tossed the cloth to the side where her other used strips were when done, then grabbed at the covers still slumped on the floor to pull around them when he finally laid down on the bed. She moaned at the jostling movement, but curled herself eagerly around his body and let her eyelids droop the second he pulled her close. 

“Du er så perfekt, Rey. Hvordan var jeg så heldig?" _You’re so perfect, Rey. How did I get so lucky?_ he whispered, pressing his lips against her forehead as she smiled slightly while dozing against him. “You know I only understand a few things, don’t you?” she teased weakly, her voice raspy from all of the moaning and whimpering and begging. Kylo just grinned and ran his fingers through her now very messy and unbraided hair before murming, “Yes. It’s easier to say things sometimes.” Rey just hummed against his chest and pulled herself closer contently while the crackling of the fire filled the silent, buzzing energy of the bedroom.

*****

Kylo woke before Rey the next day, his beautiful woman sleeping peacefully by his side with her body draped over him and a content smile splayed on her lips. He bent down and kissed her gently on her forehead before carefully removing himself from the bed they’d shared for two days now. The snow was surely melted by now and when Kylo tugged on his pants strewn across the floor with her own dress that had once been sopping wet from the frozen snow, he headed towards the front door to open it and peer outside. Sure enough, only small patches of snow remained here and there but the green grass prone to lasting during the coldest of temperatures still showed through below the icy surface.

Nodding to himself, Kylo stepped out further into the chilly air and headed around to the back of the house, an unamused breath leaving his mouth when he spotted the lifeless bodies of his goats and chickens due to the fact they’d been frozen alive while Rey tried to escape. The small chuckle that came afterwards only made him realize he wasn’t upset at all- how could she have known it was going to snow anyway? With a _tsk_ of his tongue, he decided he’d have to get rid of the dead animals and purchase new ones so they could actually eat, but that could wait until his Rey was healed fully.

Their… exerting activity last night probably didn’t help much, but fuck did it feel good to know he’d claimed her in that way. Part of his heart twitched a little, though, when he realized Rey had been nothing but open to him. She’d told him about Maz, her chickens, the marriage proposals she constantly dealt with, how she’d been trained with her bow and arrow, and that her true name had come from his culture’s origins. She’d even given her body to him last night willingly and _fuck_ , that definitely made him feel guilty considering he’d only offered her information on his relationship with his parents and old lover, the meanings behind his tattoos, and teachings of his culture.

Kylo let out a strained breath, realizing then he’d have to open himself up to her since she’d opened up so much to him- but the last time he’d done something like that, the woman he loved was leaving on a boat months later. He turned back to the house anyway, already starting to draft up things to tell her about himself until he spotted two long green stems sprouting on the edge of his house, purple petals fluttering in the wind at the very tips. His heart stilled at the sight of the flowers and if that wasn’t a sign from Odin himself, he wasn’t sure what was.

Clenching his jaw, Kylo strode over and plucked the flowers from their spot before he rounded the house again. He didn’t make it very far, though, this time stopping at the sight of Hux walking towards his front door. Kylo hid the flowers in the waistband of his pants and took a cautionary step forward to catch Hux’s attention before he knocked on the door and woke Rey. “Ah, there you are. You disappeared on us for a few days there. Wrapped up in your bed maid?” The smug grin the red headed Viking gave Kylo made his guts flip unsettlingly and he just settled his face into something cold without any words.

Hux seemed to get the idea, shifting under his harsh gaze as the smile he wore faded away quickly. “Your mother and father are requesting your presence in their lodge. It would seem urgent, so you might want to get changed quickly and be on your way.” With that, Hux turned around and headed back down the steep hill as Kylo watched him go. Just like that, the morning he’d planned to share as much of himself as he could with Rey went down the drain and he hoped whatever conversation he was going to have with his parents would pass quickly so he could return and continue their huddled up venture.

Sighing heavily, Kylo pushed back into the house and closed the door quietly before pulling the flowers from his waistband while he walked towards the bedroom. Rey slept on her stomach now, the expanse of her tanned back glowing under the morning sun that streamed in through the window while her lean arms clutched the pillow he’d slept on. The faint smile on her lips remained and she was positively beaming in the bed they’d shared, her hair messy and limbs relaxed. Kylo couldn’t stop himself from admiring her and as he moved forward, twirling the stems of the flowers in between his fingers, he couldn’t help but let the memories of her below him last night seep through his mind. 

He gently set the purple flowers on the surface of the empty pillow she clutched and brushed some of her sloppily braided hair off the side of her face as Rey sighed happily and sunk deeper into the sheets. Kylo’s heart melted at the sight and he whispered just barely, “Hvordan lykkedes det dig at fange mit hjerte så hurtigt, min Rey af solskin?” _How did you manage to capture my heart so quickly, my Rey of sunshine?_ Deciding to let her rest a little longer and not wake her, Kylo grabbed his shirt from the floor as well and threw it over his bare torso, his mood sinking to that of something upset as he had to leave Rey alone in their bed after the night they’d just shared. 

What kind of man was he to leave the woman he’d just had sex with alone the next morning? Hoping she would get the that idea his thoughts were with her from the flowers he’d left on the pillow, Kylo left the house as quietly as possible and trudged down the hill to the village that was already bustling now that the snow had melted. There was sure to be more as the season grew colder, but everything was back to normal for now. He caught eyes with one of the women that had been with Rey during their escape as he headed for his parent’s home, the tall one with short blonde hair, but he simply gave her a firm nod as he passed by which seemed to answer all questions the woman had about Rey.

That was the only encounter he had before reaching his mother and father’s lodging, the two guards outside letting him pass as he grumbled under his breath and pushed a hand through his disheveled hair. He’d have to take a bath soon, him and Rey, but he tucked the thought away as he stepped further into the home and found his parents already sitting around the in-ground fire on benches. They looked up at him, both of their faces as emotionless as his, and watched as he took a seat in the third empty bench sitting around the fire. “You wanted to see me?” Kylo huffed, keeping his eyes aimed towards the flames as they shared a look.

“As you know, Hux’s cousin was married to Chief Snoke’s son under a week ago, but his daughter is now available to be wed and Snoke has requested a meeting with us to discuss terms of an engagement,” Leia stated bluntly, her eyes never leaving Kylo’s face even though he didn’t meet her gaze. _Leave it to his mother to put politics before him and what he really wanted._ He just clenched his jaw and formed his hands into fists as Rey’s face came to mind almost instantly. 

“I don’t want to marry her,” he seethed, finally turning his eyes to his mother with nothing but rage hidden below the surface. Leia just blinked at his stare but pressed her lips into a thin line before looking to Han. The older man shifted uncomfortably in his seat, never liking when he had to become the mediator between them.

“Snoke has shown great interest, Kylo. He’s offered a lot of money to see his daughter married to you so we may unite the clans further. It’s in our best interest that this marriage happens. You know better than anybody the trouble we’ve had with them in the past.” Kylo just spit into the fire as fury bubbled deep within his stomach. “They’ll be here by the end of the month and stay throughout the winter. You’re to spend time with the girl and attend our meetings with Snoke to determine means of engagement. You’re over thirty, Kylo, and your father isn’t getting any younger. It’s time to be a man and take a woman as your wife. Since you won’t take matters into your own hands, your father and I have decided to do it for you.” 

Kylo was already out of his spot and striding for the door before the last words could leave her mouth. His hands clenched in rage and his vision blurry from hatred, Kylo burst through the doors and began to head towards the only thing that made him feel heard- _Rey._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kylo in an arranged marriage? what will he do...


	8. It Means Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some of you may have noticed i keep upping the chapter count, but it's just because i have so much i want to do with this story and every time i think i finally have down exactly what i want to do, three more things come to me. i'm sorry :(

The first thing Rey noticed when she opened her eyes the next morning was the empty space next to her in the warm bed. She frowned a little at the feeling, her lower body aching enough to remind her she’d spent the night with her strong Viking warrior but he wasn’t lying beside her. The second thing she noticed, however, were the tiny purple flowers resting on the pillow she clutched in her arms. The memory of Kylo telling her purple flowers were a way of courting women flashed through her head and she smiled then, all anxiety quickly settling as she delicately took the stems between her fingers and pulled the petals to her nose. 

They smelled sweet when she inhaled and Rey closed her eyes dreamily while images from last night danced behind her eyelids. Every touch that resurfaced caused her cheeks to burn deeper, but when the door to the house suddenly flung open, she pushed her thoughts aside so she could focus on the large man angrily striding into the house. As soon as his dark eyes found hers, all fury he held seemed to dwindle instantly and Rey frowned at the severe mood. “Is everything okay?” she wondered softly, sitting up a little and wincing when the ache between her legs traveled to her stomach. 

Kylo sagged his shoulders at the soft sound and walked to the bedroom, peeling back the covers so he could join her in bed and close his eyes, his arm wrapping around her body to pull her against him. 

“My parents wanted to see me this morning. Pulled me away from the beautiful sight of you naked in my bed.” Rey blushed at his words and reached out to push the purple flowers into his jet black hair just above his ear, his chocolate eyes cracking open to observe what she’d done. Rey just bit her bottom lip and giggled softly as Kylo groaned at the sound and pushed his lips passionately against hers.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get enough of you,” he murmured into the kiss, his large hands splayed over her bare back as she smiled and rested her forehead against his. “What did they want to talk to you about?” His slowly rising happiness quickly dropped again and the smile sitting on his lips morphed into a frustrated grimace. Rey just cupped the side of his face and pressed gently with, “Tell me. I’m here to listen.” He nodded with a heavy sigh through his nose and finally admitted lowly, “My parents have invited Snoke here with his daughter. They’re going to plan my engagement to her and I don’t have a choice in it.” Her warm face slowly sagged to that of shock and she blinked a few times before pulling her hand from his face.

Kylo grasped her wrist gently though and pulled it back to his cheek, her hazel eyes meeting his again, although this time they were filled with worry. “What does that mean for me then?” she whispered, her eyes scanning his face for any sort of answer. 

Kylo pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head, the hand holding her wrist dropping to her naked waist just to feel the soft skin he was beginning to crave and find comfort in. “Nothing. It means nothing. You aren’t going anywhere.” Her stressed features seemed to relax a little and she kept her hand on the side of his face without any intent to take it away.

“I actually… I actually wanted to talk to you this morning,” Kylo began, rolling over onto his back and tucking her into his side as he sighed. “Okay…” Rey murmured, her veins feeling like they’d just had ice poured in them. How had this sweet morning turned so cold so fast? Her mind tried to create visuals of the woman that would be coming to be with Kylo and all she could think of was a beautiful girl far more attractive than her- _she was a servant here after all._ “I wanted to open up about myself, let you know more about me than the fact I’m the chief's son and I have tattoos.”

Whatever Rey had been expecting, it hadn’t been that. 

She blinked a few times at his statement, then started to realize she didn’t really know much about Kylo at all. He had goats, knew how to braid hair, once loved a woman like her and let her go, was destined to lead, had been in many battles, and hated the idea of arranged marriage. But that was… _it_. Rey nodded against his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to the deep timber of his voice start to delve a little deeper into his life. “When I was born, there was a war about to begin between my tribe and a tribe east of us. 

“The war ‘officially started’ when I was five and my parents decided to send me away. They didn’t think it was safe for the chief’s only heir to be around when the battle began, you see. My mother had a brother still in England and desperately wanted to send me there to be with him, he ran a seminary for future priests, so she got in a boat with me and we trekked across the ocean for a few days. I still have the memory in my head of her leaving me with my uncle, then getting back on the boat and departing without another glance back. I was raised by my uncle but refused the teachings of his culture and his God, I already had mine. He even tried to give me the new name of Ben.

“I got older, reached the age of thirteen, and despised living with him more than anything. He was always trying to force the religion on me and I grew more and more desperate to return home. I had enough when I woke up one night and found him trying to baptize me in my sleep. The next morning I was on a boat and heading towards what I hoped was home- my mom had left a map with him should anything happen- so I attempted to follow it as best as possible. I made it back, granted it took a few days longer than it had when I left, but when I returned… I found there had been no war at all.”

Rey sat up a little at that, Kylo’s eyes flicking to hers to show his own pained acknowledgement. “What do you mean there hadn’t been a war?” she questioned in confusion, her small hand splaying across his chest which he looked at and smiled a little. He liked how comfortable she was getting with him. “I was born in secret, Rey. It was getting harder to hide me apparently. But I don’t have the memories of staying locked in the house all day, unfortunately. My parents weren’t married yet and she was his bed maid if you remember me telling you. It’s against our traditions to marry someone with that low of a rank, but they wanted to do it.

“They just thought it would be easier to try and get married if there wasn’t a son in the picture. What they were attempting to achieve was already such a complicated thing. So my mother sent me away to be with her brother with no intention of coming back, and I was raised thinking every day my family may be killed in a war. When I returned home on my own, my mother and father were married and had been running the tribe successfully for _six years_.” He stopped then, the memories of shocked faces and whispers flowing through his brain when he recalled his arrival to the dock.

Rey swallowed thickly in anticipation, curling her fingers around the fabric of his shirt as she waited for him to continue. “You can imagine my anger when I was told the truth. My mother tried to soothe my hostility by teaching me things like braiding, better English, and traditions of her culture, but I was fucking sick of it. I’d spent eight years of my life growing up around her brother who already tried to force their shit on me, the last thing I wanted was my mother who left me behind to continue that. My father tried as well. He taught everything about my true heritage and as soon as I was able to pick up a shield and an axe, I left the house and started to build my own. 

“I was just… so angry. I felt like I was surrounded by liars and I just wanted to be away. My first real battle was at sixteen as well as my first marriage proposal. You already know what I chose instead. It felt like I had a purpose on the battlefield, you know? For once, I was needed by people and I felt powerful, like I had control. I left a small boy and returned a strong man. My parents barely recognized me when I returned after years of battle and I liked that- I liked having the feeling like I was the one who had abandoned them. Of course, the battles stopped, but I returned to seclusion. I’d already proven myself on the field, I didn’t need to do anything more.

“I bought some goats, retreated to my home on the slope, and was fine by myself until Jyn showed up. My clan went south to go to war with them, I stayed behind, and they brought her back. I owe a lot my coming to terms with my past to her. She may have tried to kill me a few times, strong like you, but she also took most of my own fits of anger. We were both big personalities, but it was bound to collapse at some point. She told me there was nothing for her where she came from and nothing here either, even if she did love me. She just wanted to be her own person and I… I think I knew that the whole time I had her. 

“I got her the boat and sent her away, but the discovery of her escape was quick to spread and I spent my twenty-sixth birthday kneeling in front of my parents as a traitor. Considering the fact I’m here right now and not dead just goes to show how that went. There was a small battle a few years later, got to remind people not to mess with me, then came back and tried to live the life I wanted before Jyn had shown up. For years, I kept getting set up by my parents with women and for years I just fought all the pain away… and now you’re here.”

There was a steady silence that enveloped the room as Rey processed everything she’d heard. How could his parents do that to him? If they were already going to do something controversial, why not just get _everything_ over with? And why did they try to act so hard like nothing had happened when he returned? Why did they continue to set him up when it was obvious he had no interest? How many people did he have to kill to feel like he’d finally escaped the truth of his past? How many sleepless nights had he had thinking about Jyn or war or marriage? 

All Rey could do was push her lips into the side of his chest and squeeze him a little tighter. He hummed into her embrace and smiled a little before murmuring, “And that’s why nothing is going to happen to you. I’m not going to let anyone touch you or take you away from me. Rey, I…” Kylo sat up then, startling Rey as she pulled away and lifted her own body as well. 

She held the covers against her body and searched his face for answers while he reached out and took her face in his hands, Kylo’s expression one of the most serious things she’d ever seen. “Rey, you have managed to capture my heart within a month. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. And if you’ll allow it, I’d like to think of you as mine for as long as I can.”

Her heart’s once rapid beating had now completely stilled at the depth of his words and she found herself nodding before anything came out of her own mouth. “O-Okay,” she choked out, her tiny little hands reaching up to grip his wrists and lean forward to press her mouth against his. Kylo melted against her kiss and held her close before pulling away to rest his forehead against hers. “We have until the end of the month, about three weeks, before Snoke and his daughter come,” he whispered. Rey bit at her bottom lip and murmured back after a moment, “Then that’s three weeks you have to ravish me all you want.”

*****

It was three days later when Rey was finally allowed out of bed due to the fact that her head had started to scab and no longer needed to be cleaned thoroughly. They’d made use of their time in other ways, however. She didn’t think there was one place in the entire house he hadn’t taken her. Kylo had fucked her slow in their bed a few times, his thrusts deep and meaningful as he kissed her lips swollen and held her hands by the sides of her head while she panted and moaned below him. 

He’d bruised her ass bending her over the kitchen table while taking her from behind, her soft cheeks covered with red marks from his hands as their mixed cum slipped down her thighs. He even fucked her against the wall once with his mouth on her nipples while he pounded into her like he would never get to touch her again. 

By the time Rey was healed, she felt like she’d been damaged in other places. The fact that he’d cum inside of her more than a few times now lingered in the back of her mind and while she knew that should’ve scared the hell out of her, she felt oddly tranquil by the idea of his spend inside of her when he climaxed. But the thoughts slipped her mind as soon as she stepped outside of the house into the cold air three days later to finally see the world again. 

Kylo had been to town a few times and told her that her women were alright and it seemed like none of the men knew what had happened, so that stilled Rey’s anxiety as well. 

He was right next to her when she squinted at the sunlight above her, a hesitant step backwards only pushing her against his firm chest with a chuckle. “It’s bright,” she huffed, slowly lowering her hand so her eyes could adjust to the light she hadn’t seen for a week. Kylo just hummed and started to walk around back to where the dead goats and chickens had rested a few days ago, their bodies now disposed of thanks to his secretive work while she slept. Instead of the noisy animals, however, two swords and shields rested against the house patiently.

“I told you I’d teach you, didn’t I?” Kylo mused when she spotted them and took in a surprised inhale. Rey just nodded and slowly walked over to the weapons, her tiny hand wrapping around the heavy hilt of the sword Kylo handed to her. The massive weapon weighed her grip down almost instantly and she struggled to pick it up as Kylo chuckled a little and suggested, “Why don’t you try using two hands today? We can make you a more suitable sword soon. These are some of my old ones.” Rey just grumbled as she tried to heave the giant thing up into her hands.

_Jesus, did he lift boulders for a fucking living?_

The thing was heavy as shit. The _goats_ were lighter than the metal in her hands! She tried desperately to lift it from the ground, her grip quivering a bit as Kylo painfully tried to hold in his laughter. “You aren’t helping!” she quipped, giving him a glare as she let it sink back into the ground. He just bit back a smile and crossed his arms, observing as she finally got the thing off the ground with lots of effort. “There you go. I knew you had some strength in you.” She just rolled her eyes at his mocking words and gave a terrible swing with the thing, stumbling over her feet as Kylo dodged it quickly and burst out laughing.

“I don’t like swords!” Rey whined, tossing the thing to the ground as she crossed her arms and promptly sat down like a child. Kylo just walked over and picked it up with one hand effortlessly, the tip of the sword sinking into the ground a moment later so he could lean against it and gaze fondly upon her. “Want to try a throwing axe?” he wondered, reaching into the side of his belt to pull out the small axe that would definitely fit in her palm. Her eyes widened and she nodded excitedly, scrambling up from the ground as he handed it to her.

She was oblivious to the way he looked at her.

For the past three days, Kylo was falling deeper and deeper for the woman he’d met only a month ago. Rey was… well, Rey was perfect. She was sensitive, bold, strong, funny, romantic, caring, passionate, and smart. When he thought he wanted to be alone more than anything, she’d come into his life like a ray of sunshine and he couldn’t even begin to think of a life without her in it now. He wanted to tell her so many ways not to be afraid of their fast feelings, that he felt it too, but he couldn’t. Not yet, at least.

All he could do was spoil her in any way he could and watch that intoxicating face of hers light up again and again. He was an addict for her smile now. Sure, Kylo loved to push her buttons a few times just for fun, but nothing made him happier than that award winning grin that could stop his heart every single time she flashed it towards him. And her beauty- _oh, her beauty_. 

Every inch of her was flawless and soft and warm. He was infatuated, body and soul, and it was slowly becoming a goal every day to ensure that she was happy with him as well. Every night he begged to Odin that she would stay with him unlike Jyn, but every time he wished upon the Gods, he knew deep down that she was just as independent as his old lover was… and it scared him.

And now he watched as she juggled the weapon in her hand excitedly, suddenly turning to face the house where the x was still etched into its side from her bow and arrow practice that seemed so long ago. Kylo watched as she pulled her arm back to aim then sent the thing flying perfectly into the center of the x. He took a step forward in amazement and stared at her while Rey’s face lit up in enjoyment. “I think I like the axe,” she stated cockily while placing her hands on her hips with pride. “I think it suits you,” he agreed with a shaky voice, swallowing thickly when he flicked his eyes from her to the x.

They went to the market sometime later to buy more animals, Rey apologizing a few times for the fact she let his goats and her chickens die, but Kylo just waved it off and slipped an arm around her waist to walk closely beside her. They were oblivious to the eyes of the people around them, so absorbed in each other and their conversation about her terrible sword wielding that they didn’t even spot Hux leaning against his home with narrowed eyes. He sank into the shadows after they passed, heading in the direction of Han and Leia’s lodge, but Rey and Kylo paid no attention.

Tallie greeted them at the barn alongside Poe, her eyes flicking down to the hand wrapped around Rey’s waist in astonishment, but even then they didn’t mind. It was only when Kylo let her go to follow Poe into the barn that Tallie finally said something. “You and the Viking seem to be getting close,” she whispered, getting near to her friend as they waited outside for the men to conduct business. Rey blushed a little, the past few days still fresh in her mind and body. “Yes… I like his company very much,” Rey murmured.

Her friend’s eyes drifted to the hickeys on Rey’s neck and she gasped, reaching out to run her fingers over the marks until Rey pulled away. “My God, Rey, has he forced himself on you?” she cried softly, her hands finding Rey’s arms as her horrified eyes raked over her body. “What? _No_! Quite the contrary…” she confessed rushed and accidentally. Tallie dropped her arms then and blinked as Rey took in what she’d just admitted. “You… you let him have sex with you? _Willingly_?” Tallie was pale as she asked the question, her expression morphing into that of disbelief as she looked over her shoulder at Kylo who still talked to Poe about the goats and chickens issue. 

Rey took her friend’s arm and pulled her quickly to the side, her palms grasping her face as she informed quick and low, “Yes, okay? Yes, I had sex with him willingly, but Tallie… oh, Tallie, he’s so wonderful. He’s told me so much about himself and taught me so much about their culture. He’s treated me so well and he took care of me for days after my fall. He _cares_ about me, Tallie, and I… I care about him too.” The small blonde woman before her was gaping at Rey’s words, but all she could manage to ask was, “Are you in love with him?”

Rey’s eyes glanced over to the strong Viking talking pleasantly with his friend, his own dark eyes finding hers a second later and warming almost instantly. She bit her lip until he looked away and her answer was barely audible. “I don’t know,” Rey began, meeting Tallie’s fearful gaze yet again, “but I think I might be falling.” She dropped her friend’s face then and pulled away as Kylo began to walk over with a cage of chickens to hand to her. “Kyllinger, min favorit,” _Chickens, my favorite_ , Rey greeted with a smile as he winked. “På det bedste for min smukke pige.” _Only the best for my beautiful girl._

If Tallie wasn’t astonished before, she definitely was now. 

*****

Rey squealed when Kylo cut the last rope around the final goat’s neck and watched it go jumping away to the rest of the herd now grazing on the hill. “Look at him go!” she cheered, raising her hand to block out the sun above so she could watch the small animal bound up the slope and finally nestle between some already feasting goats. 

Kylo just grinned and walked over to pull her against him and admire the scene before them. “When it snows again, we’ll have to make sure they don’t die this time,” he teased, shoving her in a playful way as she scowled. “Do you think it’s going to snow again soon?” she asked seriously after admiring the herd for a little longer.

“Yes, eventually. The month is Ýlir, our second winter month. It will begin to snow this month, but there are six winter months. The worst will come from the third to the fifth month, but that is still a while away. This is the time of year when Odin travels around Midgard to visit the locals. The children will fill socks with hay for his horse Sleipnir, and Odin might give them a small gift in return. The month is also connected with fertility and earth cultivation.” Rey loved when he taught her little things like this and she tucked it away in her head to ask him about the rest of the months another time. 

“If I fill a sock with hay, will _you_ give me a small gift?” she joked suggestively, raising her eyebrows as he gave an amused grin and turned to face her fully. His large palms found her waist and he murmured just before pressing his lips to hers, “I’ll give you much more than a small gift if you leave something out.” Rey giggled against his lips, her hands finding the braided sides of his hair to pull him closer as the sun above them warmed their skin and the cold wind blew around them. Everything seemed to be falling into place for the first time in a long time, but a lot more than snow was unknowingly heading their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cheesy ass cliffhanger, i know. don't hate me... i see tros today and i'm going to die anyway.


	9. Danish Royalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying to unpack a lot of information in this one in the hopes i won't have to keep upping the chapter count. hope y'all like it xx

“Rey, wake up.” His voice was soft in her ear and she groaned a little, rolling in the opposite direction to cuddle deeper into the warm covers they shared. “Rey, come on. They’re arriving soon, we have to get ready,” Kylo tried again as he reached out his hand and tried to shake her awake. Huffing, Rey finally rolled onto her back and blinked at the looming figure of Kylo above her. His smile was small as he took in her sleepy appearance, but his eyes filled with adoration. The month had gone by so fast and so filled with care for one another. Rey knew she was falling in love with the giant Viking, and something deep down told her that Kylo was falling as well. 

“I don’t want to,” she whined softly, lifting a hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes as Kylo sat down on the edge of the bed and began to play with the tendrils of hair that swept across her pillow. “I don’t want to either, believe me, but we have to. Since I’ve promoted you to servant and secret lover, you’ll be coming with me to everything so I won’t be alone.” Rey smiled a little at the new title she was given, something he began to tease her about only a week ago, and she quickly reached out to grasp his wrist tightly and pull his knuckles to her lips.

She kissed each raised joint carefully, then pushed her cheek against the back of his hand as his features visibly softened at the sight. “I don’t know if I want to see you flirting with another woman,” Rey admitted under her breath, her hazel eyes peeking out in worry underneath heavy eyelashes. Kylo’s heart weakened tremendously at her words, his chest filling with something he couldn’t even begin to describe as she’d secretly just told him she wanted him to be only hers. 

_If only he could tell her how much he was in love with her._

The amount of nights he stayed up after she’d fallen asleep just to memorize every detail of her face was an astounding amount. If he closed his eyes now, he knew a perfect copy of her dazzling smile, sharp nose, pink cheeks, and bright green eyes would greet him below his eyelids. She was perfect and so strong- so very brave and mighty that Kylo didn’t even know what to do with her sometimes.

She’d picked up on the throwing axe rather quickly, much better than he was, though he wouldn’t admit it, and had attempted to start wielding a sword again. Kylo had made yet another trip to Finn to craft her a blade that she’d be able to carry and _damn…_ as soon as the hilt rested in her hand and she could lift it off the ground, there was no stopping her. If there was one thing he was learning about Rey the most, it was that she learned incredibly fast.

Rey had managed to pick up the language like it was nothing, slipping in and out of his tongue as easily as she spoke her native one. Their most recent sword lesson had resulted in a gash on his arm that she apologized a million times for, but it only led to him dunking her into the bath water with a laugh when they went to wash the wound. He’d taught her how to write some of the runes and finally covered all the meanings behind the tattoos on his skin, but now she was bent on getting one of her own, much to his dismay. Kylo loved her golden, untouched skin, but he promised her he’d go with her as soon as the engagement issues began to pass. 

“You’re bold to think I want to flirt with another woman. In fact, I might just confess my undying devotion to you in front of everyone and whisk you away to marry myself,” Kylo teased, but the realization of what he just said seemed to hit him as her eyes widened a little and those perfect pink lips parted to say something that was just on the tip of her tongue. Desperate to quickly fix the situation, Kylo began to ramble, “Well, I mean, you know, take you back here away from everyone and have you to myself and-” 

But it was her mouth suddenly on his as she sat up in bed that finally shut him up before he dug himself a deeper hole. Kylo just melted into her lips, like every kiss was the first one they’d ever shared, and his warm hands circled around her bare waist to pull her closer. Rey pulled away slowly, and a little more breathless, then whispered, “I wouldn’t mind that.” He swallowed visibly at her words, not sure if he was stunned more by the fact he said he wanted to elope with her or the fact she was on board with it. 

“I-I… I couldn’t ask that of you so soon, Rey, I don’t… know what I was thinking…” he stuttered out lowly, her small palm lifting to rest on the side of his face as she smiled with all the admiration in the world. “Sometimes I think you don’t ask enough of me,” she breathed softly. With that, she rose from the bed and scooped up the dress she’d worn yesterday to cover her naked front before heading towards the trunk that contained her own clothes. Kylo couldn’t help but admire her backside, though his mind was now completely elsewhere. So she would, then? Run away and marry him? Fuck, everything was moving so fast and Kylo… well, Kylo was screwed because he didn’t mind the idea of _that_ at all. 

He watched as she dressed herself in one of her more basic dresses- a dark grey under dress with long sleeves covered by a looser white over dress to keep out the cold and finally a brown apron-like cover that could carry a warm blanket of fur on her shoulders. She looked like she belonged here with his tribe and when her fingers began to work at her hair, he knew she was getting ready to braid it in the ways he taught her. Smiling to himself, Kylo stood from the bed and walked towards the front door, calling over his shoulder, “I’m going to see how far away the ships are now. We’ll be expected at the docks before they arrive.” 

Rey hollered something back in acknowledgement before he stepped outside and left her alone in the house. Her heart was thundering in her chest and she’d done her best to keep her secret astonishment in until the door finally made a sound signaling it had been closed. With a deep gasp, Rey balanced herself on the wall and let all the possible images of a wedding with Kylo fill her head from a million different angles. Part of her saw them alone in the forest with a witness and someone to officiate, a small and secretive thing, another part of her saw them surrounded by the entire village as she wore traditional garb and gazed upon her Viking lover. 

Either way, she knew her heart was beating fast because she’d just told Kylo she wouldn’t mind marrying him and he… he wanted to marry her and confess his devotion to her in front of his people. Tears began to burn at the corners of her eyes and she quickly wiped the things away, now was not the time to get choked up due to talks of marriage. Running out of time, Rey began to tug her hair back into the three buns she used to wear in England, and hadn’t worn since she arrived, then weave thick braids on the sides to at least give it some Viking touch. Kylo stumbled back into the house when she finished her last bun, slipping on her shoes just moments later to meet him in the living room.

“Are they close?” she asked, tucking a few stray strands of hair into place as she walked past him to peer out the window beside the door. “Yeah, we probably need to-” Kylo cut himself off though and Rey flicked her eyes over to him as he stared at her hair like he’d seen a ghost. “Kylo? Are you okay?” Rey hesitantly stopped before him, nervously running a palm over the buns with the cautious idea he might not like the style. “Where did you learn to do those?” His voice was just as rigid as he looked, but barely above a whisper. 

Furrowing her eyebrows, Rey really touched the buns now and explained in confusion, “I used to wear this style all the time in England. Maz taught me how to make the-” “I’ve seen those buns before. Those are Swedish,” Kylo gaped reaching his hand out to run his fingers delicately over the surface as if he was touching something forbidden. “Y-You’ve seen these before?” Rey pressed softly, stepping forward now so they were but inches away as he swallowed hard and nodded.

“In a book my mother read to me once. A story… a woman…” Kylo trailed off then, his own features wrinkling up as he seemed to be working something out behind the scenes. But the sound of drums banging outside of the house quickly snapped his attention away from her and she found herself reaching out to clutch his leather armor a second later to bring him back to her. “What are you saying, Kylo? That you know… where I could be from? Who my family might be?” 

Her breathing was ragged and the tears she’d fought back not so long ago for a different reason suddenly returned with a vengeance. But his hands found her face and a look of determination swept across his features. “I promise as soon as this day is done, I’ll tell you everything I know, min elskede ( _my love)_ ,” he whispered, bending down to kiss her firmly as his thumbs wiped away the tears that spilled over and trekked down her cheeks. She nodded against his grasp and quickly composed herself, reminding herself that there were bigger matters going on today. Kylo never lied to her and stayed true to his word. The truth could wait for a while longer. It was time to meet his fiancee first. 

He wrapped a supportive arm around her waist, pulling her close with a curt nod that told her they’d talk for hours later, then opened the door and began to lead the two of them down the slope while the foreign boats drew nearer to the port. “I know we talked about it… but I just wanted to remind you. No one knows our true relationship. They know you as my servant, but that is all. I may also… talk a little harsher than you’re used to today, and it will also be in my native tongue. I know we’ve been practicing, but you may miss a few things which I’ll fill you in on later.” Rey nodded as he spoke, clutching the back of his shirt as they walked through the empty village and approached the giant crowd by the docks where the music was coming from.

Kylo dropped her waist then, a cold feeling shooting through Rey’s body, but she pushed it aside and followed quietly behind him as he parted through the crowd and eventually stood beside his parents with her just a ways behind him. Three ships finally pulled into the dock and everyone watched with excitement as the warriors came ashore first from the two ships on either side of the middle one, the chief's daughter and personal guards finally stepping off the boat in the center to move down the dock.

The first thing Rey noticed was the girl, younger than she was, sure, but also striking in every way possible. Her hair was brown and spun with blonde highlights, her features small but strong, she was shorter than Rey but thin and toned, and her eyes were a far more rich shade of green than her own. She was beautiful and Rey felt… _plain_. She lowered her head then, still observing through her lashes, when the woman approached with a giant and horrific looking man trailing beside her. That must be her father, Snoke, she recalled. His face was torn from battle and his eyes were wicked in the sense he’d probably seen more evil than any other person alive.

“Snoke, it’s so good to see you,” Kylo’s father spoke as soon as the pair were a few feet away. Rey was proud of herself for understanding that greeting, but the next exchanges of words fell unknown on her ears and she realized just how much she was going to need to rely on Kylo later for translating. “Han, Leia. Min danske er rusten, tilgiv mig, men min datter, Zorii, har lært det godt. Kylo, må jeg præsentere din fremtidige brud for dig,” _Han, Leia. My Danish is rusty, forgive me, but my daughter, Zorii, has learned it well. Kylo, may I present your future bride to you,_ the cruel looking father spoke with a sneer Rey didn’t really care for. 

Kylo stepped forward then while Rey stayed behind, watching with nervous eyes as he gave a half bow to the woman, then spoke in a language she had never heard him speak before. “Zorii, jag välkomnar dig till mitt hem och ser fram emot början på vår framtid tillsammans.” _Zorii, I welcome you to my home and look forward to the beginning of our future together._ Rey blinked a little, not really enjoying the tone he was suggesting to the woman, but biting her tongue anyway as she watched him place a kiss to the back of her hand. She could see the grimace on his face, though, when he turned back around and stared into her own eyes with an expression that screamed _I hated every minute of that._

Snoke stepped to the side then and set his gaze upon Rey, his eyes narrowing a little as he abruptly questioned, “Who is the girl?” The feeling of dozens of eyes on her brought a blush to Rey’s cheeks and when no one else spoke, Rey realized it was up to her to say something. With the words she knew, Rey bravely lifted her chin and met Snoke’s glare with a strong stare of her own. “I'm Rey, sir. I'm Kylo's servant, nothing more,” she spoke in perfect Danish. But the man took sudden steps forward that caught Rey off guard and all she could do was stand there as Snoke scrutinized her. 

The man began to speak, his curious voice making her shift of her feet as she tried to catch a few words, but he spoke so fast that she wasn’t really able to catch what he was on about. The only words she could pick out, if she really strained, were _woman, marry, child_ , and _war._ Aside from that, Rey didn’t understand a word of what Snoke had said, but the way that Kylo suddenly stepped in front of her to shield her from the gaze of the terrifying old man suggested he had said something controversial. 

“Vi kender alle historien, chef Snoke, men jeg kan forsikre dig om, at pigen kun er en tjener og en sengepige, når det er nødvendigt. Hun blev fanget i England og har tilpasset sig vores kultur i den sidste måned eller deromkring.” _We all know the story, Chief Snoke, but I can assure you that the girl is nothing more than a servant and a bed maid when needed. She was captured in England and has adapted to our culture for the last month or so._ Kylo seemed to settle the speculating man and he nodded, turning slowly instead to his daughter who stood off to the side by Kylo’s parents. He cheered something about the exciting day, then followed behind Han and Leia towards the dining hall at the back of the village.

Zorii walked alongside her father, Kylo falling behind them as Rey walked numbly beside him. She’d never felt so out of place before in her life and with so many questions swirling around in her brain- Kylo’s thoughts of marrying her, the truth about her parents, Snoke’s suspicion- she felt like she would faint at any moment. The rest of the village trailed behind them, something about a welcome feast processing in the back of her brain. “Are you alright?” Kylo murmured low enough for only them to hear as they walked through the village. 

“Yes…” she whispered, though it was obvious in her voice she was anything but. Kylo just clenched his jaw, feeling helpless with the fact he could do nothing to comfort her like this, and continued on towards the giant longhouse that would seat the guests of honor and, amazingly, all of the villagers with the amount of shared tables set up inside. “You know that I cherish _only_ you, don’t you?” Kylo got out at the very last second before the entered the longhouse. “I know,” Rey rushed back, bowing her head when their window to talk any more closed quickly. 

They walked towards a large table at the very front of the room and Kylo, along with his parents and the esteemed guests, took their places in their respectful spots while Rey stood behind her Viking like he’d instructed before Snoke’s arrival. It took a while for everyone else to file into the giant hall, but once every person had sat down, Han stood and proposed a toast of some sort to the guests and future couple. Rey just clenched her jaw and kept herself still, trying to listen in as best as she could to the conversations that ensued around her and the words Kylo was sharing with Snoke and his daughter.

*****

Rey’s feet ached and her head had been spinning for a few hours now. The feast was thankfully starting to die down, the majority of the guests leaving after a few hours of eating and drinking and laughing and just… celebrating. Kylo gripped his fork with white knuckles almost the entire time and even though Rey couldn’t see his face, she knew the expression he was wearing was what probably stopped his future bride from talking to him much after the initial start of the feast. She watched as Snoke leaned forward and began to talk to Kylo, though her strong man was glaring down at his plate without saying anything back.

From what she could hear in the evil looking man’s tone, it seemed like he was ridiculing something and when Kylo abruptly stood from his seat with a start, Rey jumped at the sound and blinked a few times, her own heart lurching with fright. “Come on, Rey,” he growled lowly, striding away from the table and through the hall as whatever guests remained stared at the future chief stalking away. As soon as they exited the longhouse, Kylo grabbed the throwing axe from his belt and chucked it as hard as he could at nothing in particular, the blade thankfully lodging itself into the side of a nearby home and not an innocent villager.

He was fuming, shoulders rising and falling angrily until Rey reached a small hand out and gently placed it on his back to soothe him. He glanced down at her behind eyes filled with rage, her own expression that of confusion and worry. “Let’s go home, okay? We can talk about it together,” she suggested, kind and soft, to which he nodded reluctantly. Kylo walked over to the axe and pulled it roughly from the side of the house, a few splinters of wood getting yanked out as well. They began their trek through the village, both of their lips pursed and minds heavy with thought.

The climb up the slope to their home was somewhat sobering, but as soon as they entered the house, Kylo was pushing her against the door and attacking her with his lips. Rey melted like putty in his demanding grasp, his callused hands fumbling with the skirt of her dress to hike it up her smooth thighs. She gasped into their kiss when his fingers found her folds, the wetness pooling there only increasing when he managed to shove two fingers effortlessly inside of her warm, wet cunt. “Fuck, _Kylo…_ ” she gasped, her fingers digging into his inky locks while he moved his lips down her jaw and began to suck deep marks into her neck.

His fingers with thick and rough inside of her, pumping in and out so rapidly, Rey was seeing stars and the coil deep within her stomach was already beginning to reach its breaking point. “I need you,” he snarled, “I need to feel you… _Fuck_ , you’re so wet. All I could think about was fucking your tight little cunt gripping me and hearing you scream my name.” Rey went weak in the knees at that, but he quickly snaked an arm around her waist to support her as he drove his fingers deeper inside of her velvety walls and curled them perfectly against the soft spot of nerves he managed to find every time. And when he added the rolling of his thumb over her clit harshly, Rey cried out his name and came harder than she ever had in her life. 

Kylo just fingered her through it, his own labored breathing evident in her ears as he pulled his fingers out suddenly and began to fumble with the buckle on his pants. While Rey tried to gather herself, Kylo shoved his pants down to his knees and stroked his aching cock a few times before pushing his lips back against hers. “You’re so goddamn perfect. I wish I could fuck you every day for the rest of my life… you and your sweet cunt and tits,” he spoke, low and deep. His hands found the bottom of her thighs and she was yanked up within the next second, her legs wrapping around his waist as her fingers found solace in the braided hair that never seemed to stay braided for long around her. 

His tongue swallowed her own, taking in her delicious taste as his cock nudged against her entrance, then plunged inside in one swift stroke. Rey screamed in ecstasy, throwing her head back against the closed front door as Kylo reached up with one hand and tore the front of her dress down, her pert left tit falling out, rosy and desperate for his mouth. As if he read her mind, his hot tongue swirled over her stiff nipple and she moaned breathily, his hips finally snapping up into her and pounding into her womb.

Rey just held onto him for dear life, taking everything he gave her as he consumed her whole. Kylo was everywhere- filling her, tasting her, touching her- _everywhere_. Her nose was filled with his scent, her skin wet from his mouth, her ears catching his own groans of desire, and her vision clouded by his black hair she loved so much. “Fuck, I love you,” Kylo hissed against her tits, tugging the other one out so he could suck on it too. She stilled a little at his words, but he failed to realize what he said as he angled his hips a different way and drove into her with reckless abandon. For a moment, she forgot it too as a second climax built higher and higher within her, her soft gasps and whines alerting him of it as well. 

“Come for me, Rey. Come for mig, min kærlighed ( _me, my love_ ),” he demanded against her sensitive nipples that had been sucked roughly and nipped at with his teeth. Rey squeezed her eyes shut as a silent scream rippled through her throat, her back bowing off the wall while another fierce orgasm consumed her body. Kylo followed only moments later when her cunt clenched around him, practically milking him for every drop of cum he could give her. He stilled inside, both of them panting as if they’d just run an obstacle course, and his spend filled her until it began to seep out of her and drip down her thighs with her own juices.

Rey just whimpered and dropped her head against his still clothed shoulder, Kylo carefully pulling out of her a minute or two later to walk awkwardly over to the bed with her still in his arms. When he set her down, she sighed contently and watched as he pulled his pants back up; his jet black locks sticking to his forehead with sweat, his lips swollen and pink, and his eyes glossed over with emotion. _He loved her._ His words rang through her head again when he fell flat against the bed beside her and pulled her on top of him. 

“Did you mean it?” Rey whispered after a few minutes of cooling down and catching their breaths, his cum still leaking out of her slowly. “What?” Kylo asked curiously, his fingers running over the three buns that were now a bit messier. “That you love me. You told me you love me,” she informed softly, her eyes wide and nervous as she observed his face. Kylo was quiet for a very long time and just when she was certain she wasn’t going to get an answer… “Yes. I do. And I did mean what I said about declaring that in front of everyone.” 

Her heart spasmed in her chest with a swelling passion and she felt like she was going to cry out of happiness alone. Surging upwards, Rey cupped his face and kissed him deeply as his hold tightened on her significantly. When she pulled away to rest her forehead against his and gaze down at him, she murmured back through a smile, “I love you, too. And I meant what I said when I told you I wouldn't mind that either.” Kylo’s smile was one of the biggest ones she’d ever seen on him, a crooked thing that showed off his imperfect teeth she loved so much, and all she could do was press her lips back against his for another tender moment. 

For about an hour, they dozed in each other’s arms, kissed languidly, and mumbled the three words to each other with hushed voices. It wasn’t until the room turned dark did they realize a fire probably needed to be lit to keep the space warm and light. Rey rolled off of him reluctantly and told him she’d start on dinner while he lit the fire in their bedroom, but Kylo reached out an arm and stopped her from heading away, his face suddenly hard and reluctant as she waited for him to say something. “Food can wait for a while, if you’re okay with that. I think we should… I think we should talk about what happened today and… who I think your family might be.”

Rey blinked at his sudden seriousness but nodded, eagerly sitting back down on the bed and sitting criss-cross before him as he sat up and leaned against the headboard. “There’s an old story of a woman, a Swedish queen who refused to live by other people’s rules and was a fearsome thing. She was married to Erik the Victorious, king of Sweden, but he died in battle and she reigned alone after his death, though many men tired to seek her hand. Snoke was one of those men, a long time ago, but she refused. One famous story tells of her being courted by Harald Grenske of Norway and Vissavald of the Kievan Rus, but she recognized that both were only interested in her for her land and wealth like Snoke was. 

“She invited those two to a party where, after they and their men fell asleep from too much drink, she barred the doors of the hall and burned them to death to discourage future suitors,” Kylo mused, looking up at her to watch her reaction as her eyes widened and she grinned a little. He knew she’d like that story, especially if it involved men trying to get what they wanted out of a woman. “I think I like her,” Rey giggled a little, stuffing her hands into her lap as she scooted forward and waited for him to continue. Kylo just smiled and looked down at his fingers which he picked at, _a habit he usually did when telling stories_ , she recognized. 

“Olaf Tryggvason, a conqueror and Norwegian ruler, also sought her hand but insisted she convert to Christianity first. When she refused, he slapped her in public, which is viewed as a great offense in our culture.” Rey cocked her head at that, unfamiliar with the crime. Kylo caught on and waved his hands as he explained briefly, “Women are allowed to divorce their men here. Public abuse is a horrible offense that usually calls for divorce immediately after. The tribe always stands with the woman, in that instance.” 

Rey nodded and locked that away in the back of her mind, something new she’d learned entering the vault of all other things that had been taught to her over the course of a month. Kylo continued a little softer then, his eyebrows crinkling up as if the next part of the tale he was about to tell of the Swedish queen was complicated. “She is said to have then married Sweyn Forkbeard for his connections and power and orchestrated the Battle of Svolder in which Olaf was killed. But… there’s more to the battle than just that.” 

He didn’t continue for a moment and Rey’s jaw dropped, her heart lurching with the need to know more. Reaching out urgently, Rey grasped Kylo’s hands he was still fiddling with and brought his attention to her eyes. “What is it? What happened at the battle?” she pressed, her eyes desperately scanning his features for any sign that he would continue quickly. He shifted where he sat and nodded slowly before murmuring, “She became pregnant after marrying Sweyn and had the child just months before the battle. 

“She fought in the war, but… there was no record of her body ever being found afterwards. Her side had won, but she never returned to her husband after the dispute and her body wasn’t found with the others that were dead. When they returned home, her child was missing too.” 

Rey’s heart had stopped inside her chest, Kylo’s eyes nervously flicking up to observe her. All the color had drained from her cheeks and her lips parted to take in shaky breaths, but it felt like her entire world had just flipped upside down. “Why are you telling me this story… who is the woman?” Rey asked just above a whisper, her gaze trained on the sheets as she tried to piece together exactly what Kylo was saying. The blood that ran through her veins was ice cold and she hesitantly ran a hand over the buns on the back of her head, remembering that the style was what had pulled them into this conversation in the first place.

It was Kylo who leaned in then, taking her hands in his so he could look at her anxiously. “Her name was Sigrid the Proud. She was a Swedish queen who remarried a Danish king and had a child that disappeared, never to be found again. The buns you’re wearing in your hair right now were worn by her and her shield maidens in battle- something sketched and noted in history books. When Snoke saw you today, he said he you reminded him of a woman he once proposed to… _Rey…_ your name is Freya, you were abandoned in a village in England and taken in by a woman who happens to be from the same culture as us, and you wear the hairstyle of a woman who disappeared years ago.” 

The tears that welled up in the back of her eyes was a surprising amount. She tugged her hands out of his grasp and blinked a few times at the spill of information, a numb sensation running through her body as she tried to process the sheer amount of coincidences alone that lined up with her life and the queen she’d never heard of before. “If Sigrid was queen… and she remarried a Danish king… what does that make me? If I was her- her daughter?” 

She licked her lips, nervously looking at her lover as the first tears began to streak down her cheeks, his own eyes staring back in desperate awe. “Rey,” he began slowly, reaching out to take her hands in his yet again for comfort, “you’d be Danish royalty, and a Viking at that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i *do* wonder if this will change anything now that she's an assumed heir to a royal viking...


	10. Very, Very Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// language barrier
> 
> Because Zorii is from a different country and Rey is still trying to get a grasp on the Danish language, they communicate through broken english in this chapter. Conversation might be triggering for those who've been in similar situations.

_“Jyn, wake up. You need to go,” Kylo whispered urgently as he shook her shoulder. She frowned in her sleep and pulled herself out of his grasp, stubborn as always. “Leave me be. The sun isn’t even up, Kylo,” she grumbled, snuggling back into the bed they’d been sharing for quite a while now._

_He swallowed nervously, looking over his shoulder and out the window that rested over the extra bed he had to get for her when she first arrived. “Jyn, come on. You need to get up. I’m getting you out of here.” At his last words, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up, lifting her fists to her face so she could wipe sleep away and give him an odd look._

_“What are you on about? It’s the middle of the night, Kylo.” Letting out a gruff noise of frustration, Kylo grabbed her under the armpits and quickly threw her over his shoulder before sauntering out of the room._

_“What the hell are you doing? Kylo! Put me down!” she squealed, slapping her hands on his back with that ferocity he loved. “I can’t do that. You don’t belong here with me, Jyn. I got you a boat and some supplies and you’re leaving tonight,” he informed sternly, trying to fight the tightness of his throat so he could sound like he wasn’t affected by the decision._

_Jyn fell still over his back as he grabbed the small pack he’d put together for her that would definitely last a few days while she sailed away. “Kylo,” she began, slow and soft, “what do you mean I’m leaving tonight and you got a boat?” With that, he pulled her off his shoulder and set her down in front of him, her wide green eyes, always sporting smudged charcoal around the edges, staring accusingly at him. Beautiful and strong as usual. “Jyn… I love you, you know that, but it’s obvious you’re never going to be happy here with me. You need independence like you need to breathe and I… I can’t give you that if you’re stuck in this village._

_“I’m giving you a boat, I’m giving you some supplies, and now I’m giving you up. You were never really mine to begin with, and I think I always knew that, but I never wanted to confront it until now. I’m sending you away because I love you, because I want you to be happy and I know this will make you happy,” he croaked, the lump behind his words only swelling with each sentence that came out of him._

_Her confused eyes settled to something between the lines of determination and admiration, and when she lifted her palm to hold his cheek, Kylo knew she was ready to go as well._

_Lifting herself onto her tippy toes, Jyn pushed her lips gently against his own, but pulled away before it could get any more passionate. They didn’t need anything to be more painful than it already was. “Kylo Ren, you’re going to be a good leader one day and an even better husband. I may not be your woman in the end, but know that I will love you always.” He nodded firmly at her words, trying desperately to hide the fact he was about to cry in that moment. But the emotion died at his will and he took her hand, not sparing another word as he snatched up the sack of supplies yet again and handed it to her before they dashed out of the door._

_It was pitch black out, not one person awake at this time of night, yet they sprinted blindly with their hands clasped together and heavy breaths. Their feet crunched against the gravel of the streets throughout the village and he steered her through the endless twists and turns until they came to the shore of the land and the beginning of the docks. Sure enough, a small boat meant only for one person with two oars sat patiently in the water for someone to use it._

_They scurried over the wood, Kylo’s heart only beating faster and growing number as he realized what was about to occur. Before she could take one step into the boat, he grasped her waist and pulled her against him for one last kiss, her soft lips pushing against him with all the words he knew she would never say. Jyn was the one to end it, gently placing a hand over his heart and giving him a nod that spoke volumes before she turned and dipped down into the boat that would carry her away forever._

_She clutched the small bag of supplies and set it by her feet, Kylo just standing with his arms limp at his sides as he panted and gave her a distressed look. She offered the bravest smile she could manage, then grabbed the oars and began to pull away from the dock, their eyes never leaving one another until she’d rowed too far and he could no longer even see the shape of her in the wooden vessel. Yet still, he stood at the end of the dock and stared into the black nothingness of the night, the moon the only thing detectable on the surface of obsidian colored water._

*****

Kylo woke with a start the next morning, though it was more the knock at the door that lifted him from sleep more than anything. Rey sighed dreamily against his chest, tucking herself deeper into his side as hair spilled out from the buns she’d forgotten to take out the night before. 

_Fuck…_ he was sleeping with the princess of Denmark. His head went dizzy for a moment at that thought, all of the memories of the way he’d fucked her and kissed her and worshiped her flashing through his head. Leave it to him to get the fierce little servant who was actually an assumed descendent of Viking royalty. 

Another knock came to the door, harsher this time, and Rey mumbled, “Hvem er det?” _who is it?_ in his language. He smiled softly at the words and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her bare shoulder before removing himself from the bed as carefully as he could. 

Putting on a stony face, he strode over to the door and cracked it open only to see his parents standing in front of him, their own faces stern and cold. “What do you want?” Kylo growled, gripping the door tightly to show they weren’t allowed inside though the freezing air of winter blew around them.

It was his mother who spoke first, her all seeing eyes narrowing as she glanced over his shoulder to look in the direction of his bedroom. Kylo just stepped in the way of her vision and closed the door an inch more. “Hux came to us the other day and told us upsetting news. He said he saw you and the bed maid walked rather _personally_ together through the village the other day, smiling and laughing, as well. There is to be _none_ of that while chief Snoke and his daughter are here, do you understand?

“You may keep the girl as a bed maid after the marriage, but there is to be nothing more than that while these negotiations of marriage occur, and there is _certainly_ not the be any feelings for the servant that may interfere with that of your future wife. If I so much as hear a word that you’ve touched the girl in public, let alone looked fondly at her, I will see to it that she be taken care of. Now, wash up and get dressed. Your presence is required at the lodge within an hour. Today, you will sit with chief Snoke as well as your father and I to discuss the dowries. The girl will show your bride around the village and maybe then she’ll understand her place.” 

Kylo clenched his jaw at her words, but he didn’t get to say anything as Leia turned away immediately after saying her peace. He flicked his eyes over to Han who gave him something resembling an apologetic look, but he turned around as well and followed his wife down the steep slope Kylo was surprised they could even trek up and down anymore. 

Out of anger alone, Kylo slammed the door and turned to march back into the bedroom, but Rey was already standing in the doorway with his sheets wrapped around her nude body- her eyes wet with tears and bottom lip trembling. 

“I only understood bits and pieces, but…” she trailed off, her voice no higher than a whisper. Sagging his shoulders at the sight, Kylo briskly walked over to her and engulfed her into a tight embrace as the first of her tears dripped against his chest. “Am I really going to have to show her around without you? I don’t even speak the language well, Kylo,” she cried weakly, her small hands gripping his arms that were rigid and bulged below her touch. “My parents are doing this on purpose. Fucking Hux ran his mouth to them and now we’re both paying the price,” he snarled.

Rey pulled away to look up at him, her hands gently resting over his chest then as she sniffled and met his severe gaze. “Whenever you set the wedding date, plan it as far away as you can. Please… will you do that for me at least? I can’t let you go so soon, I can’t do it,” but she broke down into sobs then, resting her head against his chest as he pressed his hand against her buns and held her against him, his own heart building with hot rage at the sight of his lover crying over him. “I promise. I’ll figure a way around this, Rey. I swear to you.” She nodded and they held each other for a while longer until she pulled away and turned to the bedroom.

“I guess I should probably get ready then…” Rey stated in a hushed tone, already going over to the dresser where her clothes were. “Grab something to change into. We need to clean up first. It’s been a while, don’t you think?” Kylo asked, trying to slip a cheeky tone into what he was suggesting, and it seemed to work someone as Rey let out a giggle still wobbly from crying. 

Ten minutes later, she was easing herself into the hot water alongside Kylo who sighed and sank under the steaming surface for a few moments. When he rose from the water again, his black hair was untangled from its braids and sat flat against his head to expose those big ears Rey loved so much. 

“Will you help me with my buns?” She huffed, starting to tug at them with wet fingers as he pushed his own sopping hair back and turned to look at her. “Which ones?” he asked jokingly, a playful smirk covering his face. Rey just rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed look as he flashed a larger crooked grin to her and waded over.

He started to undo the bottom one in silence, only breaking their quiet a minute later when he moved to the middle one while she still tried to fiddle with the top one. “Rey… I know it slipped yesterday and it wasn’t very meaningful… but I just wanted to tell you again that I love you. I know this winter is going to be rough for the both of us, but I want you to know that. When I’m away from you, when I’m working this out, when I’m talking to people I don’t care for, I want you to know I love you.” 

Her hair finally tumbled to its full length, long locks floating on top of the steaming surface and Kylo gulped a little at its sight- still having such a shock on him. She turned with a small smile, her wet hands gliding over his chest before locking behind his neck with a certain gentleness only she could possess. “I love you, too. When I’m showing your bride around, when I’m standing beside you in front of everyone else, when I’m away from you while you’re negotiating, I want you to know I’m thinking of you every moment.” 

His grin only spread to show off more of his crooked teeth that Rey just absolutely adored, and she couldn’t help but kiss him deeply as the steam from the bath swirled around them and filled the room. “Now get me comb,” she teased, slapping the front of his wet chest when she pulled away so she could dive below the surface and run her fingers through her long strands. 

When she came back up, Kylo waved the comb in his fingers and she happily turned around, letting him run the bristles through her hair like he loved doing so much. He’d explained to her a long time ago that long hair on women was an extremely attractive thing, and he may or may not have fantasized about grabbing it since day one and tugging her head back while he fucked her.

Of course she’d let him indulge in that desire not so long ago and now he was obsessed. Slowly, drag after drag, Kylo smoothed out the brown locks of hair and began to work his fingers into the tendrils to create one of his most intricate creations. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love doing your hair?” he mumbled from behind her, his broad chest resting against her bare back as he tugged gently here and there to make neat little braids that clung to the sides of her head. “I think I got the idea a while ago,” Rey giggled, sighing as she leaned against him while he tangled her hair beautifully. After a few finishing touches, he pulled away and looked it over with a smile. “There’s my beautiful girl,” he hummed. His large hands found her waist only moments later and he stole one more kiss from her before starting to braid his own hair.

Rey just watched with amused eyes as she reached for the bar of soap to clean off her skin. They didn’t even have to worry about washing the back of her head anymore- the scab there already shrinking so much- and the pain had ceased to exist a while ago. Despite that being said, Rey ran a finger over where the gash once was, but only felt the bumpy scab overtop of it that was now about two fingers long and as thin as a twig. “Is it hurting?” Kylo worried, quickly finishing up the braid on his left side before he tied up the excess hair in the back. 

“No, no. Just thinking about it,” she said with a smile, handing the soap over to him as he sighed and anxiously looked to the door. “I can’t believe I have to spend my whole day dealing with fucking wedding negotiations I’m not even going to go through with,” he grumbled, his eyebrows settling into something dark and rigid. “Can’t you cancel it or something?” Rey teased, splashing a little bit of water at him as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes to enjoy the steam that lifted into the air.

Kylo paused for a moment and Rey cracked one of her eyes open to observe him as he slowly ran the soap bar over his skin, seemingly lost in thought as his gaze turned to nothing in particular. “Kylo?” she asked his name softly, cocking her head to the side as he regained his composure and shrugged. 

“There’s a few ways, I guess. The parents of the bride and groom mutually call it off, another man challenges the groom for the bride’s hand, a woman of superior rank desires the groom’s hand instead, the groom offers another man of the same or superior rank instead, or the bride offers another woman of the same or superior rank.” 

Rey blinked at the third statement, the revelation of what family she might belong to warming at the back of her mind. She wanted to be with Kylo, sure, but was she really going to rush into something like marriage so fast just so she could have him to herself? And even if she did want that, how could she prove she was of Danish royalty? It wasn’t like her mother was around and there were no kinds of tests to tie her to anyone other than supposed looks alone. 

“Could you find another man to take your place?” she wondered, taking a step closer while Kylo turned his back to her and put the soap bar away. “That’s not going to happen. I already have the most superior rank and my parents aren’t going to let me get out of this.” Rey frowned a little but nodded, both of them exiting the bath and dressing only minutes later with both of their heads racing. So many thoughts and questions and theories passed in and out of her focus, Rey felt dizzy by the time they exited the bath house to head into the village. 

“Hey, you just try your best today, okay? Show her the forest, show her the goats, show her the waterfall, show her around the village, even explore a bit if you want. Just… be yourself and do the best you can. I’ll try to make this quick,” Kylo urged, spinning around to stop them in their tracks before they entered into the village. Rey nodded with wide eyes and swallowed thickly as they continued to the lodge belonging to Leia and Han.

 _This home will be Kylo’s one day_ , she thought quickly. _It could be ours too, if I could do something about it._

With a deep breath, Rey averted her eyes to the floor and followed behind Kylo when he strode in through the front door to meet the eyes of his parents as well as Snoke and his daughter. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Kylo grumbled, a sentence Rey was actually able to understand. Snoke grinned wickedly and spoke first, “Kylo, så glad for at du kunne komme med. Vi starter straks forhandlinger, hvis du ikke har noget imod det. Jeg er sikker på, at din tjenerpige vil være glad for at vise Zorii rundt.” _Kylo, so glad you could join us. We'll start negotiations immediately if you don't mind. I'm sure your servant girl will be happy to show Zorii around._

Rey could see the way Kylo clenched his hands into fists by his sides, but he nodded anyway and turned to look at Rey with everything she needed to know. “Jeg ville være glad for at vise dig rundt, savner Zorii,” _I would be happy to show you around, misses Zorii_ , she quipped quickly to the beautiful woman sitting to the side, bowing her head a little as she silently prayed her Danish was alright and she’d said that right. The woman rose from her spot and bowed a little when she passed Kylo, flicking her stunning green eyes to Rey next as she waited for her to move. 

Rey turned then and started to head outside into the village, the door closing behind her the final nail in the coffin.

*****

They walked up the steep slope to the house Kylo and Rey shared after the latter had shown Zorii through the village and pointed out the barn and the armory, the only places she really knew. Along the way, Rey had learned that Zorii was actually very good at languages and spoke English well enough to carry a conversation. 

“Kylo… lives here?” she asked, hesitant in her word choice as if she was unsure if that was the right way to phrase the question. “Yes, he lives here. I do too as his servant. I clean the house, make sure meals are made, and help with the animals,” Rey explained as simply as possible. 

Zorii nodded, her eyebrows knit up in confusion a little bit. “You are… just servant then? Not bed maid?” Rey just about choked on her own spit while she went to swallow, quickly shaking her head as well as her hands. “No, I am not,” Rey wheezed a little. Sure, she let Kylo fuck the life out of her most nights, but he never once took her by force and she welcomed him inside of her like she welcomed air into her lungs. “He is… very big man,” Zorii giggled a little at her observation, nudging Rey a little as she wiggled her eyes.

Although Rey was supposed to be despising this woman right now, the current person who was getting bargained away to Kylo as his future bride, she couldn’t help but chuckle back and nod with a blush. “Yes, he’s very strong. He uses very big, heavy swords.” They continued to walk around the house, finally stopping around back so Rey could point out the goats and chickens that mindlessly wandered around. 

Zorii took a few steps back in shock as one of the goats came bounding over to Rey, a small little thing that often came to her whenever she had to heard them up the mountain. Rey was convinced it was because she gave it a little bit of corn sometimes as a treat, but she loved the attention nonetheless. 

“Don’t worry. It’s friendly,” she laughed, looking over her shoulder with a smile before she grabbed the thing effortlessly and slung it around her neck like Kylo had taught her so long ago. Zorii just gaped at her and took a few more steps back when Rey approached her, extending the head of the baby goat towards her to pet it. “It’s okay! You can touch him.” A little nervous, the woman cautiously stuck a hand out and stroked the head of the goat a few times, a small smile slowly blooming over her face.

When the animal bleated in her face, though, Zorii yelped and stumbled back as Rey laughed a little and finally set the goat down. They both watched it scurry off. “You are strong woman, too,” Zorii stated proudly, as if that was the best compliment Rey would ever get. Rey just gave a nod in appreciation and pointed to the woods next, suggesting they head in that direction. Their walk was in silence for a while, but Zorii finally spoke a while later. “You are very pretty, too. I am curious why Kylo not marry you?” she asked, shooting Rey a questionable glance.

Her cheeks flared up into a blush she wished she could hide, but she just crossed her fingers in front of her and shrugged a little. “I’m a servant. Kylo can’t marry me because of status. You’re the chief’s daughter. You can.” 

Zorii considered her for a few moments, then looked away and stated with a chin tilted upwards in courage, “You would marry him if you could, no?” Rey’s face immediately drained of the color she’d just received, but she pressed her lips together and hesitated for perhaps a moment too long. “You love him then?” Zorii continued, jumping on that small beat of silence, still not looking at Rey as they began to enter the forest.

“I would not marry him, no. I have a lower status and it is not allowed. I don’t love him, I am just thankful he’s taking care of me nicely,” Rey finally decided on, quickly trying to cover up the feelings she so obviously had for Kylo. Zorii flicked her eyes over to her then, but Rey had plastered on a brave face and gave nothing away. She nodded then, but moved onto something Rey also didn’t want to talk about. “You look the face of someone I have seen before. In a story book, when I was young. My father sees it too. You see then why I must know if you love Kylo and want to marry.” 

Right, someone of superior birth status could take him away. Only Rey couldn’t prove that, and they were only _assuming_ she was the daughter of the famous woman who mysteriously disappeared with her child.

“Don’t worry, misses Zorii. I have no plans to take Kylo away from your marriage. I’m only his servant, and soon I’ll be yours too,” Rey stated as bravely as she could, but the lump at the back of her throat was hard to overcome. The woman beside her just nodded, much more assured now, and they continued through the forest as Rey pointed out which paths lead where. 

The trees had lost their leaves by now, a sharp, cold breeze whipping through the branches as they headed in the direction of where the boats were built. “It snows soon?” Zorii asked when she looked up at the trees and shivered against the wind.

“Yes. Kylo says it should be any day now. He and I will have to build a shelter for the animals at some point,” Rey sighed, already thinking about the work that was going to go into it. They stopped just on the verge of where the trees had started to be cut down for ship making, their eyes scanning the bustling area as men hauled logs towards the rocky shoreline while others whittled the wood down and began to bend it carefully to match the bottom of what a boat would look like. 

“I will bring cloth of linen and wool, spinning wheel, loom, and a bed as part of my dowry when we are married,” Zorii stated proudly when she looked at the scene below, as if logging somehow had any relevance to what she’d just said.

“My father say Kylo will give twelve oras for the bride price, or mundr. That’s very big. I will get it at wedding ceremony, but my father say he will give silver or gold as down payment today. My morning-gift will be clothing, jewelry, household goods, livestock, and estates. He will be good to me, my father say,” Zorii continued, a big smile on her face. Rey, however had now idea what any of that meant. “You get paid to be taken as a wife? And you give him things in return? What’s a morning-gift?” Rey rattled off, obviously desperate to know things.

Zorii just giggled and turned around, starting to head back towards the village as she explained, “Yes. Kylo will pay my father to take me as wife, and I bring things into marriage to start life with him. Morning-gift is given to woman for her sexual availability to her husband, or for her virginity if she is maiden, since pregnancy biggest danger to health for women. Heiman fylgia will be given from father to Kylo, too. It is from my father to thank for taking me as wife. Kylo will take the money and use it for both of us to help with new life.”

Rey wasn’t paying attention to the last part though, she was focused on the first part. Kylo was going to have to get Zorii pregnant if they were to be married. He was giving her a fucking gift for having sex with him at some point and giving him a child. At the thought, Rey’s stomach went a little queasy and she nervously lifted a hand to her own stomach. 

_She’d been here just over a month, hadn’t she?_

Her mind immediately jumped into panic mode as she tried to recall the last time she bled, but that had been just before they were raided. And Kylo had emptied himself inside of her too many times to count. Abortifacients weren’t exactly common around here either… 

Rey suddenly felt very, very sick. 

As if the fact Kylo was negotiating to be married and Rey might be Viking royalty wasn’t enough, she might be fucking pregnant. 

_Fuck, she might be pregnant._

“Are you… okay?” Zorii asked worriedly from beside her, small hands reaching out to touch Rey. She didn’t even notice she’d stopped walking as her heart pounded heavily in her chest, but she swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yes, I… do you mind if we go back to the village? I need to pick up, um, a few things for our dinner tonight,” Rey managed to get out, the only thing on her mind the thought she had to get her hands on barley and wheat as soon as possible. Zorii gave her an odd look but nodded, both of them starting to head back for the village. In an attempt to fix the awkward air that had grown between them, Rey quickly asked, “Do you think your future husband handsome, then?” 

Zorii blushed a little and grinned, the mood quickly morphing into something more playful while Rey internally panicked. “Yes. He is very attractive. Very scary though, too.” Rey couldn’t help but let out a weak laugh at that, agreeing that he could be brooding sometimes. “Don’t worry. He’s very kind beneath all that toughness,” she assured, though she wasn’t really sure why she was helping the woman out. Zorii seemed thankful for it though and Rey quickly spotted the shop selling grains just a few stores down when the finally entered the edge of the village. 

Rey pointed to it and hurried over, trying her best to remember what barley and wheat was. Finally, when the store owner bumbled out from behind the shadows, Rey choked out, “En oun byg og en oun hvede, tak.” _One ounce of barley and one ounce of wheat, please._

The man gave her a curious eye, obviously unfamiliar with whatever she was buying the grains for, but he packaged the amounts into separate sacks and traded them for the coins Kylo had given her in case of emergency earlier in the week. 

Turning back to Zorii, who was obliviously looking around the market, Rey pointed to the docks next to talk about the fishing Kylo did sometimes and tried to ignore the prickling sensation of anxiety deep within her. 

*****

Kylo was having the worst fucking day of his life.

All one half of his brain could think about was his poor Rey attempting to escort his future bride around the village while the other half tried desperately to figure out how he could prove Rey was Denmark royalty. “So we agree then on fifteen oras for the mundr _,_ my daughter will bring her linen and wool clothing to make clothes for the family, her spinning wheel to aid in those creations as well as a loom, and a bed for her part of the dowry,” Snoke stated, scribbling the list down on paper as Leia and Han oversaw it. Kylo just clenched his jaw and watched from the other side of the table as his life was being decided for him. 

“And for his morning-gift, our son will give your daughter new clothing, the finest jewelry we’ve obtained from raids, household goods such as furniture and decorations, the livestock he currently maintains, and the estate of his current home as well as this future house and the entirety of the village,” Leia agreed, taking the writing utensil from Snoke to write down their own list they’d agreed on. 

Kylo just knew if it was Rey they were talking about, he’d give her every single thing he owned- including his body and soul- and sign off on it without hesitation. This just made his blood boil. “And for the heiman fylgia, seventy oras to cover half the morning-gift.” With that, Snoke wrote the last of the agreements and signed his name at the very bottom with terrible scribbles. Leia signed it next, elegant and regal, then Han with his lazy lines. All eyes turned to Kylo then who glared at the yellow piece of paper.

Reluctantly, he took the writing utensil from his father’s grasp and signed his perfected signature at the bottom before sliding it back to them angrily. Leia just rolled it up, reeking of grace and calmness, before handing it to the six men at the end of the table- witnesses- who would read over it and nod once they had seen the written agreement after hearing the oral discussion as well. All that was needed was Zorii then and the _handsal_ would seal the arrangement forever. “Hux, go find Snoke’s daughter and the servant, won’t you?” Leia demanded as she flicked her eyes over to Kylo.

He just fumed privately in his spot and waited in the quiet of the room as the tension only grew more and more. “That servant girl of yours… you’re sure she is of no importance?” Snoke interrupted the silence only moments later. “She’s a slave brought from England. She’s no more important than one of my goats,” Kylo gritted out, though it hurt to say that about the woman he loved. 

Snoke just hummed in curiosity, but leaned back in his chair nonetheless as they waited for the women to come in. Only five minutes later, the door creaked open and Zorii entered, Rey following behind her without a word. Kylo found Rey’s hazel eyes quickly, but dropped the gaze as soon as their connection had been established.

“My dear, welcome back. We’ve sorted everything out and we’re ready to seal the contract with the _handsal,_ ” Snoke declared, a chilling grin covering his face when his daughter sat beside Kylo in the only other empty chair. Rey stood silently to the side, somewhere behind her Viking lover. 

Zorii nodded at her father’s words and looked over to Kylo who just stared angrily at the contract before them. The six men to the side slid another piece of paper to the pair and Rey tried to read what was on it, but her knowledge of the written language was still in its infancy and she quickly gave up as soon as the runes rested in plain view. “Together then,” Leia stated, narrowing her eyes at Kylo as Han shifted uncomfortably in the chair beside his wife. 

Zorii scooted up to the edge of her seat and Kylo finally sat straighter too before opening his mouth to begin alongside Zorii, “We declare ourselves, Zorii of the Snoke tribe and Kylo of the Solo tribe, bound to each other in lawful betrothal, and with taking hold of hands promise the dowry and engage to fulfill and observe the whole of the compact between us, which has been notified in the hearing of witnesses without duplicity or cunning, as a real and authorized compact.” Rey was only able to pick up bits and pieces of what was said, but when Kylo pushed the paper back to his parents, he rose from his seat and jerked his head towards the door so Rey would follow.

“Kylo. Kylo!” his mother shouted after him, but he was already out on the street with clenched hands and a tight jaw, Rey trailing not too far behind. She kept her mouth shut as she followed after his stalking figure, but he glanced down to the two burlap sacks in her hands and gruffly questioned, “What’s that?” Rey glanced down to the bags, anxiety pooling in her stomach yet again, as for a moment there, she completely forgot about the test she was going to conduct later. “Just some grains I thought I might use for dinner sometime this week,” she lied easily. They didn’t speak again as they ascended the slope to their home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm probably going to have to up the chapter count... please don't hate me.


	11. I Will Wage War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really sad to hear a few of y'all didn't enjoy last chapter or the direction I was taking some of the characters, so I tried to fix a few things y'all didn't like and reinforce the storyline as best as I could. I hope this chapter makes up for the last one, but thank you to all of you who love this story as much as I love writing it. y'all are the ones that make me push forward :)

Kylo was about ready to punch Snoke in his twisted fucking face. For three days now he’d been subjected to meetings about suggested wedding dates, preparations for where the ceremony was to be held, estimating the number of guests, worrying about the amount of food and drink they’d have to plan on and Kylo… Kylo was doing nothing about it. His mother’s words still stung fresh at the back of his head.

_If I so much as hear a word that you’ve touched the girl in public, let alone looked fondly at her, I will see to it that she be taken care of._

That was why he was sitting through all these meetings and taking it- he couldn’t bear the thought of his temper being the reason Rey was hurt. He hadn’t spoken a word to Zorii since she’d been asked to attend as well, and he spent most of his time in their discussions glaring at his parents as well as his future fucking father in law. Rey was doing who knows what while he was away, and he’d gotten the sense that she’d become very anxious over the past few days about something she wasn’t planning on talking about. 

The longer he sat in the wooden chair while his parents and Snoke bickered about wedding plans, the deeper he tried to think of all the ways he could prove Rey was who he thought she was. He’d already considered reaching out to Sweyn Forkbeard, Rey’s supposed father, but there was no way he’d be able to leave in the middle of these decisions to trek across the country and demand the man come observe the woman he was in love with. And he was certain the man would probably think him mad anyway considering it’d been over twenty years since the disappearance of his daughter and wife, so Kylo had been shot back down to square one.

He’d tried to flip through what books the village library had while Rey slept to see if there was anything recorded about the child Sigrid had, any sort of mark he might be able to find on Rey that would coincide with that of the child, but all he found were stories of Sigrid and theories of what had happened to them. His patience grew more and more thin as the days went by, and today was the breaking point. 

With no idea of how to reveal Rey’s identity, his love seemingly hiding something from him, his parents deciding his future, and Snoke eyeing him constantly with that malicious grin, Kylo had had enough. 

“I say the wedding be done this coming summer. With both of our efforts and riches, we should be able to produce everything in time anyway,” Snoke reasoned, leaning back in his chair as if he ruled the fucking place. Leia frowned a little at the short time notice, something their culture very obviously didn’t like to do. “That’s a very short amount of time. Livestock will barely be ready to be handled for the week long feast and travel for those invited will be short notice,” Han stepped in, worrying at the wrinkles in his forehead as Kylo glared at all of them.

“Send the invitations now, then. It’s already decided they’re to be wed, therefore the invites shouldn’t be of any worry. As for livestock, we can always raid or bring what I have from my own village. My daughter isn’t getting any younger and frankly, Han, neither are you. I _want_ them wed by the summer,” Snoke snarled that last part, leaning over the large piece of parchment paper being used to scribble notes down. It was then that Kylo snapped, slamming his fist down on the table as the woman beside him jumped with a small yelp.

All eyes turned to him, Snoke’s usual smirk transforming into something vicious. “Oh? Does the boy finally have something to say? I was afraid you were mute, constantly brooding in the corner over there,” he hissed leaning forward while Kylo settled his eyes full of hatred upon him. “I’m not getting married to your daughter in six months. What you ask requires too much of my people as well as yours and those that will be invited. I request a year and a half. It’s my fucking wedding after all. Has no one remembered _that_ goddamn detail?” Kylo growled, turning his savage expression to his parents.

Leia just pursed her lips while Han awkwardly looked away. 

“This better not have anything to do with the whore you keep around you at all times. I suggest you sell her off before she gets in the way of your marriage to my daughter.” Snoke rose from his chair then, the wooden legs scraping against the floors as the entire room began to fill with a thick tension. “She’s a _servant_ , not a whore. You’ll watch your mouth around me when you discuss her. She’ll be working for you daughter one day, should I even decide to go through with this anymore.” Leia bristled at his words, finding her own feet as she hissed, “You’re marrying Zorii, Kylo, and that’s final. I warned you once I’d do what I had to to ensure this wedding happens. I won’t hesitate to get rid of the girl.”

Snoke clapped his hands at that, leaning away from the table as he marveled at Leia like she’d just had the best idea in the world. “What a wonderful idea! Kill the girl getting in our way and let’s continue on with what was _meant_ to be occurring anyway!” he barked out, abruptly grabbing his knife from the side of his belt as he slammed it on the table in a threatening way. Kylo was out of his own chair in the next minute, the wooden object flying across the room as he grabbed the knife stabbed into the table and flung it as hard as he could into the wooden beam beside Snoke’s head.

The man’s eyes went wide at the realization he could’ve just been killed by Kylo, but the last thing either of them needed right now was a war. 

“Touch her and I swear to Odin you’ll fucking pay,” Kylo warned, low and deep as his eyes burned with hatred. He flicked his eyes to his mother, then snarled, “Strange how someone who used to spread her legs for my father long before your own wedding was even considered legal gets to call the shots on my arranged marriage.” Leia sat back down in her seat then, but didn’t dare to pull her seething gaze away from her son.

The room was dead quiet, the only sound coming from Zorii who sniffled quietly beside them, rigid in her chair and holding her breath as if her being still would stop her from being involved in whatever happened next. Snoke narrowed his eyes at Kylo, sizing him up as if to judge whether or not the man would really pay for touching Rey, but the knife still splintering the beam beside his head and Kylo’s cruel words to his mother seemed to answer that question.

The wicked man’s face relaxed into something of false sorrow and he gently raised his hands in the air before musing, “Come now… this is a joyous time. Such threats and nasty remarks shouldn’t take place at wedding discussions. It’s obvious the servant is special to you in one way or another. I only hope you understand the difference between feelings for your future wife versus that of a bed maid. After all… how disappointing it would be for you to follow in your parent’s footsteps when they obviously want _only_ the best for you.”

Kylo clenched his jaw and shook his head, growling out, “Fuck this,” before he stormed to the door and grabbed the handle. “You come back here right now, boy, or you can guarantee I’ll kill the girl and end this marriage!” Snoke abruptly roared behind him before he could even exit the house. 

Kylo paused for a moment, then turned and shot him the most sinister look he could muster, the older man blinking a few times in shock and taking a step back as Kylo snarled, “Touch her, and I will wage war on you myself. _Fuck_ the wedding and _fuck_ all of you.” With that, he barged out of the lodge while voices demanding he come back filtered through the door he’d left wide open. 

All he could see was red as he started to head in the direction of his home. 

*****

Rey stared at the small mounds of dirt behind the house that hid seeds of barley under one and wheat seeds under the other. She chewed her lip nervously and lifted her hand to her stomach, wondering if she should go down to the village to talk to Tallie, Rose, Kaydel, or Phasma about what she was considering. Tallie was the only one who truly knew what was going on between her and Kylo since she was the only one Rey managed to see during her trips into town, but part of her told her she should say nothing until something- or nothing- began to sprout.

It was an old fashioned method she’d learned about a long time ago. 

If the barley seeds grew, she would have a boy, and if the wheat seeds grew, she would have a girl. If nothing broke out of the soil, she wasn’t pregnant. If both sprouted… she was having twins. She just lifted her nails to her mouth and began to bite as she observed the mounds she’d urinated on three days ago, but nothing had breached the surface yet.

“Rey?” Kylo’s booming voice called from somewhere inside the house. Jumping a little, Rey turned quickly and hurried towards their home where Kylo was already busy stuffing things into knapsacks. “What is it? What happened?” Rey questioned nervously, catching his attention as he turned and rushed forward, seizing her into his arms so he could hold her tightly. 

“The meeting went sour today. I said things that will get me in trouble, and possibly you. We’re leaving for a few days until things settle down, but I refuse to go to another discussion until I’m the one making the decisions,” he explained as he pushed his nose into her hair.

She clutched him worriedly, letting her mind race as to what all of that could possibly mean. “What do you mean we might be in trouble? Where are we going, Kylo? What did you say?” Rey rambled as he let her go and continued with his urgent packing of things for them. He huffed as he strode into their bedroom and threw some clothes into the giant sack that was quickly filling up.

“Snoke wanted the wedding in the summer. That’s six fucking months. You know we don’t do it like that, you _know_ we don’t. I argued it and he brought you up, saying you’re the reason I don’t want it so soon. He’s right, but the way he talked about you? Fuck, I wanted to murder him. For three fucking days I’ve just sat there and gone along with it because- I mean- you heard! My mother said she’d ‘take care of you’ if I so much as breathed in your direction. I went along with it all to protect you, but it did nothing but hurt us anyway. Snoke, he… he threatened your life and I said fuck the marriage and walked out. So we’re leaving and no one is hurting you and we aren’t coming back until they want to be fucking reasonable and I can think and work something out to get us out of this.” 

Rey stared at his lumbering figure, his words heavy on her heart as the realization she was wanted dead slowly began to seep in. _Jesus, Snoke wanted her dead._ They hadn’t even been here a full week and Rey had already proven herself to be big enough a threat to his daughter’s potential marriage that he would want her murdered. Instinctively, her hand flew up to her flat stomach at the other thought of what could be taken, but Kylo turned around at the exact moment she did so. 

He froze for a moment where he stood and she finally looked up from the floor to meet his eyes, realizing half a second later what she’d done. Rey quickly dropped her hand, but Kylo was already focused on it. “You’ve been doing that a lot these past few days,” he pointed out, his eyebrows settling into a furrowed suspicion as he stared at her stomach that gave nothing away. _Not yet, at least_. “Anxiety. It gives me a stomach ache.” Rey quickly covered, turning away to brace herself on the table as Kylo dropped the filled bag and carefully walked over.

His eyes burned on the side of her face and a sudden tear spilled down her cheek as she whispered, “He wants me dead. Kylo, I… if I never came here, none of this would be happening.” She turned her face to gaze upon him, his severe expression having softened dramatically within the few moments that had just passed. 

Gently reaching out, Kylo took her cheeks in his hands while she cried silently and shook her face, soft but firm, as he stated certainly, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. This isn’t your fault. I fell in love with you and you fell in love with me. My parents are the ones who set this up, them and Snoke, and now we’re both suffering for it. I’ll never go through with it. I… I said the words, I know, to seal the contract, but I’m going to get us out of this and I’m not going to sit around anymore while they control my life. Not when you’re a part of it now, too.” 

She nodded weakly at his words, reaching up to push her salty lips against his plush ones that welcomed her immediately. Kissing him felt like coming home, and as Rey’s fingers tugged at the braids she always managed to ruin, he just brought her closer as if he was memorizing the way her lips moved against his. They broke apart only moments later when she sucked in a shaky breath, but filled the silence with the question, “Is there any way we could… prove I’m who you think I am? It’s the only way we could really end this…” 

His face hardened a little at her words and he let go of her then, turning to pick up the bag he’d packed before grabbing a smaller one off the table to stuff it with food. “I’ve had a lot of time to think of ways we could prove it, but all of the plans fall through. There’s no mark that could identify you, and even though I’m taking us away for a few days, I don’t have the time to go to your father myself and beg him to come look at you,” he explained, his tone soft yet angry at the same time.

She shifted on her feet as a sudden thought jolted through her brain, and when Kylo turned around he could tell immediately she was thinking something up in that smart brain of hers. “I… I have an idea, but you aren’t going to like it,” she whispered, meeting his uncertain face with nervous eyes of her own. 

*****

They were running hand in hand out of the house ten minutes later, the sack holding all of their clothes and whatever they needed to survive the next few days draped across his back while Rey gripped the bag full of food. Her sword rested strapped across her own spine, her throwing axe tucked into the belt around her waist. Even Kylo had brought his sword with him, a giant thing Rey wondered how many times had torn through the flesh of other men. 

The waterfall was their goal for the next few days with its cave large enough to settle down in and camp out while they were probably being searched for by Snoke and Kylo’s own men. It was a mad dash over the slopes leading to the landform he had shown her so long ago, both of them holding onto each other as they flew over rocks and hills and unsettling terrain while the sun got lower in the sky. “Just a bit further!” Kylo yelled back to her as the chilling wind whipped around them while they ran.

Rey was already out of breath not even five minutes into their sprint, but she pressed on out of fear and desire to be safe with the man she loved. The echo of rushing water filled her ears not much later and soon he was helping her down the jagged side of the land leading to the lake that pooled at the bottom of the waterfall. They scaled along the side of it, trying their best not to get wet as they pushed themselves hard against the rock directly beside the falling water and shimmied over the slippery surface leading into the cave behind the liquid cloak. 

It wasn’t until they were fully hidden behind the water did they grasp each other and hold on tightly like they’d never be able to embrace one another again. “You know I love you, don’t you? And that I’m going to fight every single thing that they try to decide on?” Kylo begged against her, his fingers tight in her hair as she clutched the fur resting around his shoulders. “I know. I know you will. Nothing will keep us apart from each other,” she whispered, tears of relief running down her face as she accepted the fact they were safe for a while.

Kylo started on a fire deep within the cave when it started to get dark outside, but Rey nervously stood at the mouth of the rocky place they were currently calling home, trying to see if anyone was walking around outside looking for them. She worried at her bottom lip and tried to recall where everything had started to go downhill.

Maybe it began when she attempted to escape with her friends and hurt her head. Maybe it began when Kylo was told he’d be the other half in an arranged marriage. Maybe it began when Rey wore those buns and was told she looked like a woman that had disappeared with a child. Or maybe it was when she realized… her ability to do anything _about_ anything was next to none.

She couldn’t pull Kylo from his marriage without proving herself, but the plan she’d come up with relied on her and will power alone. Possibly her women too, if able. There was no telling what would happen if they went through with the idea she’d created, but it was the only shot they had in trying to make everything right again. And to make matters even worse, there was something else she had to worry about now that Kylo had started picking up on. 

Rey felt like she was drowning.

How could she keep Kylo to herself without killing them both? Without proving her worth? Without telling him she might be carrying his child? Another hot tear rolled down her already irritated skin and she hastily wiped it away, not allowing herself to cry over things she barely had control over. If her mother really was the proud Sigrid everyone talked about, and if the part of her that still existed to fight lived within her, she had to be strong and fight whatever was coming for them. Kylo slowly appeared in her field of vision beside her and one of his large arms wrapped around her slim waist.

“We’ll be alright. I’ll make sure of it,” he told her bravely. For a moment, Rey was convinced that they would be okay. He sounded so sure- how could they not be okay? She just sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder as they admired the rushing water glimmering from the fire he had started behind them. “It’s a shame,” Rey murmured after a few minutes. Kylo looked down at her in confusion and she gave a teasing smile when she tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “The goats and chickens are probably going to die again while we’re gone.” 

Kylo couldn’t help but curl his lips up into a grin and in the next instant, he was sweeping her off her feet and wrapping her around his neck like he’d done when Rey had first been brought to him. “Hey! Kylo! Put me down!” She laughed, thrashing a little in his grip, though she wasn’t really trying to get away. “Well now I absolutely can’t. You’ve slaughtered my animals twice now. That’s a crime punishable by a duel,” he teased matter-of-factly before setting her back on her feet by the fire.

She just pouted and poked a finger into his solid chest while she retorted, “We’re both killing them this time and it’s your money that’s being wasted, not mine.” Kylo opened is mouth to protest, but frowned a little when he realized she was right. Giving a dry _ha_ at him, Rey plopped herself down on the large fur he’d put on the ground by the fire and stuck out her hands so she could warm her chilled skin. 

He eventually sat next to her, sprawling his long legs out to the side as she leaned against him and savored this oddly romantic moment they were having in the midst of a catastrophe. If they were to be caught, right here and now, Rey would certainly be dead before sunrise and Kylo would probably be married by the end of the week if Snoke demanded it. 

The fire burned red and orange in front of them and Rey began to hum a little song as embers flitted into the air around them. It was the song she sang when she herded the goats, the old tune Kylo had once complimented her on, but it seemed so solemn now in their empty cave. The water thundered a few decent feet away, but they remained warm and cosy at the back of the little space while she hummed the song Maz used to sing to her when she was little. Kylo’s right arm lightly draped around her waist to pull her a little closer to him and she closed her eyes while the crackling fire and rushing water droned out the sound of her anxious heart.

“I remember when I was little…” Rey began softly from beside him. “I remember Maz used to hum that song when she did my hair. I never learned any of the lyrics to it, she never sang them. She always called me ‘min dam’ even though I never found out what that meant either. There were a few kids in our village for a while when I grew up and I taught them how to hum the song, but they all moved away before I was a teenager. I wonder sometimes if they still sing the tune like I do.”

Kylo lifted his hand from around her waist and began to tug playfully at the braids messily woven into the side of her head. “Min dam means my lady in Swedish,” he murmured, sitting up a little better and scooting behind her so he could start to pull the entirety of her hair out. “Speaking of, how do you know so many languages? You surprised me the first day they came, being all charming like you usually are.” Rey laughed a little at the memory and brought her knees up to her chest as he fluffed her hair and planned his vision for a while.

“Take a guess,” he said sarcastically behind her, starting to work on thin braids on the side of her head that curved around her ear, then hung by itself without being woven into the side of her skull. “Mother?” Rey guessed, rolling her eyes when he gave a disgruntled huff of confirmation. He worked for a long time silently, his fingers gentle as they spread warmth through her body.

There was just something about being touched by him that made Rey feel fuzzy all over, like the softest furs and blankets covered her skin and whispered that she was safe. Rey just leaned further into his touch and thought of more random things to tell him, figuring they had time to spend with each other and there probably wouldn’t be a better time to share all the insignificant details of her life than now. 

“I remember when I was young, Maz and I used to go down to the shoreline and find driftwood there. We’d bring these slim pieces of leather and wrap them around two sticks… make swords out of the wood.”

She smiled a little at the fond memories, closing her eyes as she rocked from side to side and continued on, lost in her own world. “I remember one time, it was absolutely freezing. The winds were rough and it was winter, but I insisted we go down to the beach because I wanted to fight her. I swear… I can still feel the sting of the ocean spray on my cheek sometimes. Of course, I came down with a cold afterward, and she made fun of me for it for a week, but we had fun. I miss her sometimes,” she admitted softly, opening her eyes only when she realized Kylo had stopped braiding. 

“When I went into my first battle, I was scared shitless,” Kylo stated from behind her after a small pause. Rey turned around, raising a hand to feel her completely braided hair that must look extremely complicated, but she just resumed her position she was previously sitting in and rested her chin on her knees to listen intently. His face was scrunched up, like he was trying his hardest to remember the images flashing behind his eyes.

“I remember staring at the clan on the opposite field and the war cry we all sang.” Rey grinned a little and nudged the side of his extended thigh with her foot. “Will you sing it for me?” she questioned mischievously. His ears went pink from under the braids and an embarrassed grin spread over his lips. 

“I’m afraid I’m not as good as singing as I am with a sword.” Rey could tell he was trying to avoid it, but she put on her best puppy eyes and whined, “Pleeeaaase?” 

Biting at his bottom lip, Kylo finally rolled his eyes and leaned back on his hands with a sigh before rushing out below his breath with spitting words, "Bræðr munu berjask ok at bönum verðask, munu systrungar sifjum spitla; hart er í heimi, hórdómr mikitl. Skeggöld, skalmöld, skildir ro klofnir,vindöld, vargöld, áðr veröld steypisk; mun engi maðr öðrum þyrma. Svört verða sölskin um sumur eftir.”

Rey just blinked at him as if he’d been possessed. 

_Jesus fuck, the words sounded like he was ready to murder someone._

“And, um, what does that mean?” Her nervous voice made him laugh and he reached out to cup the side of her face as he explained with a voice much softer than whatever he’d just said, “Brothers shall fight and fall on each other, and sisters' sons shall kinship stain; hard is it on earth with mighty whoredom; axe-time, sword-time, shields are sundered. Wind-time, wolf-time, ere the world falls; nor ever shall men each other spare.” 

he still didn’t really understand what that meant, but she got the uplifting idea and nodded at him to continue on as he dropped the hand from her face. “Well, I remember us giving the war cry and charging forward. Everything was such a rush. It was silence except for the heartbeat in your ears and footsteps on the grass, and then it was just… sound. I remember the clash of shields and the ringing of swords and axes. I remember cutting the first man down, then the second, then the third. Shield maidens, too. I didn’t stop until there was no one else to fight.” 

Rey bit her lip a little and tried to imagine a teenage Kylo tearing his enemies apart with whatever means necessary. For some reason, the thought of him bloody and panting with rage on the battlefield made something stir deep in her belly, and she was swinging herself onto his lap in the next second as she braced her hands on his shoulders. Kylo just tilted his head back and stared at her with a faint smile that conveyed just how much he adored her. 

“Remind me how I got so lucky to be with the chief’s son, the most fearsome warrior in the entire village? Maybe in all of Denmark?” Rey teased, lacing her fingers behind his neck as he tugged on one of her braids fondly and shook his head. “You’re one to talk. I have fucking royalty in my lap right now. You technically rule over me, you know that? I don’t mean to temp you but… once your identity is established, there’s nothing stopping you from storming these beaches and hunting Snoke down. He is trying to steal me away from you, after all.” 

Giggling at the idea of her rowing up to the shores with a dozen ships behind her, all of them loaded with strong warriors ready to slay Snoke, Rey just dropped her head against Kylo’s shoulder. “I don’t think I could ever be that dramatic,” she mused lightly.

He shrugged a little, running his hand up and down her back as he commented, “You did throw a knife into my chest when I went to rescue you from certain doom the first day you were really awake.” Wincing a little at the memory, Rey ran her hand over his leather armor where the mark should rest below. She suddenly felt extremely guilty. Kylo had done nothing but take care of her when she’d been injured- Rey had just watched him burn the gash closed and never asked about it again.

She’d seen him shirtless enough to know the thing had healed and scarred over, not too terribly bad, but she never made a point of worrying about it. “I’m sorry, Kylo… for everything I’ve done since I’ve been here,” Rey whispered against his chest. Frowning, Kylo pulled her off of him so she could look upon his face and meet his eyes. “What on earth do you have to be sorry for?” She threw her hands up into the air and sat back on his lap, looking around the dark cave that lit up under the flickering of the fire they sat by.

“Throwing a knife at you, spitting on you, trying to escape, making you take care of me, being a burden on your arranged marriage, hiding that-” she cut herself off on the last one and watched as his face immediately hardened. Kylo’s eyebrows flattened down into something severe as his usually full lips pressed into a thin line. 

Well, she was fucking caught now.

“Um, I’m just gonna-” she tried, starting to get off of him, but his large hands found her waist and trapped her against him, holding her down so she couldn’t get away. “What is it. You’ve been acting strange for days now. I knew you were hiding something, but I didn’t want to push. Not until now.” His voice was low and stern, but she could sense the desperation in his tone to know what was on her mind. 

All Rey could do was worry at her bottom lip, unsure of exactly how to say it. It wasn’t like she actually knew if she was pregnant or not. All she knew was that she hadn’t had her period the entire time she’d been here and it was nearing the two month mark within a week or so. 

With shaking hands, Rey reached down to one of his hands on her side and carefully pulled it away. “I don’t… I don’t know for sure, but…” she trailed off, guiding the palm of his hand to her stomach where she cautiously placed his hand, then left it there to rest without her support. Kylo flicked his eyes down in confusion as she held her breath, but realization washed over him like a fucking tidal wave two seconds later and he was suddenly sitting up straighter, his lips parting as a startled exhale escaped his throat.

He pushed his hand firmer against her stomach and choked out, “Rey, I, what, how-” She quickly placed a hand over his mouth to shut him up, but nodded to confirm everything that was probably racing through his head right now. “Like I said, it’s not for certain but I… I haven’t bled since I’ve been here, you’ve emptied yourself inside of me many times, I haven’t used herbs to stop anything from taking, and I’m trying an old method to see if it’s for sure. Earlier, when I cried because you said Snoke might try to have me killed… he might be taking something else, too.” 

Kylo’s face turned from shocked to deadly, the hand on her stomach reaching up to tug her hand away before he placed them back on her waist securely. She gasped a little when he tugged her forward and growled, “I swear to all of the Gods I will not let anything happen to you or our child. If what you say is true, and life is growing inside of you, I will personally see to it that any man or woman who merely looks distastefully in your direction be killed.” 

She blinked a little at his harsh words, but couldn’t help but let out a breathless laugh. “How about we just stick to if ‘anyone tries to hurt us, then they get taken care of’?” Rey suggested with a small smile. He visibly swallowed at that, but nodded and pushed himself forward to capture her lips within the next second. Rey’s tiny fingers wound into his braided hair to tug him closer and a small game of push and pull ensued between them as they passionately locked lips, the fire still roaring beside them as the water crashed against the lake with it. 

“Rey, light of my life… you’ve blessed me more than you know and I see now that I wasn’t a man until you found me.” His words filled the cave with a dim sound, but the love that came from them echoed deep within Rey’s heart.

\-------

(Side note so I could link it)

Kylo's war cry is a real thing and it's fucking terrifying, here's the link: <https://youtu.be/m62iekbg9eo>

Y'all should check out the rest of Heilung's stuff (I'd start with Norupo or Traust) it's basically all I listen to when writing this fic and they're absolutely amazing :) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this steered the story in a bit of a better direction for those of you who weren't as pleased with it last chapter. as always, though, let me know what you think. any comments are always appreciated xx
> 
> ALSO: next chapter is going to be a lot so... hang in there


	12. Be With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! i know this is an early update, but i was unsure of whether or not i'd be able to update on the usual thursday because i'll be out of town, so i figured i'd just go ahead and upload just to be safe. if i find out i can update, then there will be another chapter on thursday as well as sunday, so possibly three chapters this week if i'm lucky xx

Rey woke the next morning to strong arms wrapped around her body and the dull thud of water crashing against a flat surface. Blinking away sleep and adjusting to the light filling the cave, Rey finally gazed upon the profile of her lover who still slept soundly beside her. Smiling a little at his peaceful expression, she lifted a hand to cup the side of his face and gently push it over so he was facing her while remaining unconscious. For as long as she could, Rey stared at his face and tried to commit every detail to memory. 

Tonight was the night they were going to start with their plan, so they’d have to review it today and discuss solutions to everything that could possibly go wrong, but Rey didn’t want to think about that right now. No, she wanted to be able to close her eyes and picture his features perfectly within her mind. Sighing, she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his own before she pulled herself out of his grasp and began to work on breakfast.

The fire had gone out at some point during the night, so she stoked it back to life and hummed the song from yesterday while rummaging through the knapsack containing the food for their little absence from society. She vaguely wondered if they were counting all of the ships in their inventory to make sure none of them had been stolen. Giggling to herself, Rey found a skillet and a few eggs along with bread, figuring that was a good enough breakfast to get them started for the day. 

Rey admired the waterfall as she cracked the eggs into the skillet and listened to them fry above the fire, Kylo stirring only a few moments after they began to sizzle from being cooked. He groaned a little as he rose, rubbing his eyes before he settled his eyes on her and smiled. “You’re up early,” he murmured, easing himself into a sitting position while he watched her work. “Only by about ten minutes,” she assured, leaning over to kiss him sweetly on the lips while he grinned.

“What do you think the people back at the village are doing right now?” Rey questioned as she set the skillet down to the side with the finished eggs, reaching for the two wooden plates Kylo had thankfully packed as well. She plated them each two fried eggs along with some bread, then handed his breakfast to him before scooting over to sit beside him. “By now, they’ve probably sent out men to look for us. They may be going through people’s houses to see if anyone is harboring us. I’m sure Snoke is threatening my parents and my parents are threatening Snoke.”

Rey nodded a little and began to nibble on her bread as she stared out to the cascading water that thundered powerfully, but began to fall on deaf ears the more she got used to it. “Kylo… if your parents got married even though the law forbade it and your mother sent you away so as not to add you into the mix, why do they suddenly feel like they can control your own marriage or our relationship? Your mother was your father’s bed maid, and they didn’t even attempt to come for you after they’d been ruling for six years,” Rey whispered, looking over at her strong man who clenched his jaw and stared down at his food.

“They have no reason, Rey. That’s the problem. It’s so… hypocritical. We’re literally walking in the same steps as them, and if anything, they should be the ones to support us the most. I know this is just a power grab from my mother as all things usually are. She started at the bottom and clawed her way to the top, and now she’s trying to control the way my life works because she feels like it’s her life too.” His words were bitter and filled with disappointment, so Rey just placed a hand on his shoulder to show her support and rubbed it there for a while as they sat in silence.

“She didn’t even care about your life until you sailed back here on your own,” Rey pointed out, hate starting to fill into her own words as she spoke passionately in defense for her Viking. 

Kylo nodded, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder as he sighed tiredly, “I know, Rey. These are things I’ve had to live with knowing for years. In the end, it comes down to my parents trying too hard to compensate for abandoning me by attempting to fill my life with only the best. I try to think of it like… my mom is only trying to give me what she wished happened between her and my father, but she’s just forcing things I don’t like on me to make herself feel better for her actions.”

They sat in a long silence after that, but Rey’s hand never left his shoulder and Kylo never lifted his head from hers. Their food had gone cold after a while, but they didn’t seem to mind as they admired the waterfall before them. “Do you think we could get married at this waterfall like your parents did? Just a subtle… fuck you?” Rey asked humorously when he finally pulled away and went to push his eggs back into the skillet so he could warm them up above the fire. “That depends on whether or not you want to marry me. We’d have to discuss dowries and contracts and dates and plans for the week long festivity and-” 

Rey shut him up by stating, “Kylo. I want to marry you. I know we have other things to focus on, like getting you out of this goddamn marriage first and finding my family and dealing with the reality we might be having a baby and we may go to war with Snoke after this- actually, come to think of it, we have a lot to focus on. Maybe we can discuss marriage after everything settles down.” Kylo laughed at her realization and shook his head, the cave slipping back into a comfortable mood.

*****

“Alright, run through it briefly again?” Kylo huffed as he worried at the lines in his forehead and stared at the map he’d brought along with them after she’d given him her brief idea at their home before they fled. Rey nodded and pointed to the mark she’d made with a nearby black stone over the word Forkbeard on the map. 

“My father is here, and we are here,” she began, pointing to the other mark that rested along the edge of Denmark. “If we consider weather, terrain, possible run ins, and possible animal encounters, the journey from our village to my father’s castle will take three weeks.” 

Already, her heart sank at the long duration of travel, but she continued on as Kylo nodded. “When my women and I arrive, we’re going to assume we’ll be taken into questioning with the proclamations I make. Everything depends on whether or not Sweyn actually looks upon me. Guessing, and very roughly, I assume we may be held in questioning anywhere from an hour to a week. If we go with the latter, that’s a month now I’ll have been away. Discussing the stress of our situation could take anywhere from a week to a month, so we’ll tack another month onto the journey as well.

“Depending on how he takes the information, it could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to rally up an army to march back here and seize Snoke, strip him of his power or kill him, then null the marriage. Best case scenario, I’m gone for two to three months. Worst case scenario, I’m gone for four to five months. Either way, I’ll be back before Snoke’s earliest idea of when the wedding should occur.” 

Rey finally pulled away from the map to stare at the side of Kylo’s face, but it was still twisted up with worry and he nervously lifted a hand to extend it over to her and rest it flat against her stomach. A lot was at stake with this plan. Everything was relying on pure hope and guessing. Kylo could be killed when he returned to the village, a hunting party could track her and her women down, her father could kill her without ever hearing her, Kylo could be forced into marriage within the week… everything could go wrong, but all they could do was hope it didn’t.

“So tonight… I’ll go to the village, gather all of the supplies you’ll need, and round up your women to bring them back here. Tomorrow, I’ll say goodbye to you and the others, then head back to the village with the declaration I’ve gotten rid of you myself. I’ll tell them I gave you a merciful death that they wouldn't have given you, then agree to discuss the terms of the wedding with a newly clear mind. I’ll demand the wedding occur in a year and a half and fight every decision that isn’t my own.”

Rey nodded at his sad words, his chocolate eyes finally gazing up to meet her own. “I don’t like this, my sweet Freya. Too much is relying on chance,” Kylo admitted lowly. Her heart fluttered when he used her true name, something he’d started to do a few times after he learned it, but she leaned forward to grasp his neck and pull his forehead against hers. “Nothing bad is going to happen to us. I don’t like it either, but this is the only way something can happen. And if… if I don’t survive this or you don’t… the history books will know we tried.” 

He sighed heavily at her words but finally gave in and pushed his lips passionately against hers. So many words and wishes were fueled behind the kiss, and Rey knew that, but she had to be strong now. Tugging him a little closer, Rey deepened the kiss and began to situate herself on his lap to try and steer their little moment into something that could both distract them from the nerve wracking plan. 

Kylo seemed to welcome it eagerly, however, as his hands slid down to cup her waist and pull her flush against his leather-clad torso. She sighed happily into his mouth before plunging her tongue in to taste him while he moved her gently over his lap to grind her against him. 

“I love you,” Rey gasped when he started to trail his lips down her jaw and suck dark marks into the side of her neck. “I love you more than words can explain,” he groaned back, those giant palms of his moving even lower to grip her ass and roll her hips against him. She whimpered a little at the action and dropped her hands from his face down to her dress, hiking the heavy skirt up so her bare legs could rest against his pants and give her better access to rub against the growing bulge in his pants.

Kylo’s own fingers dipped below the pooled up fabric so he could grope the soft skin of her ass, a low moan falling from his lips at the feeling of flesh only he was allowed to touch and mark. Rey just tipped her head back to give him better access to her neck while slickness pooled between her thighs and probably made a mess on the front of his trousers. It wasn’t until he was fiddling with the strings at the back of her dress did she realize he wanted her naked, so Rey pulled away and helped him by shimmying out of the heavy garments. 

When her bare skin made contact with the freezing air, her dusky pink nipples hardened before him, but Kylo was already tugging her against his warm body with his magnificent hands so he could latch his mouth to her right breast. “Fuck, Kylo…” Rey whined softly, her fingers digging into the base of his own hair as her sopping wet cunt dragged over the outline of his cock hard within his pants. 

He swirled his tongue around her stiff nipple, his other hand flicking the pink bud not getting any attention, before he switched roles and sent her squirming in his lap. At some point, his shirt was being pulled over his head and his trousers were being tugged open to expose the tame trail of black hair down to his length. Rey gripped his cock in her small hand, barely being able to wrap her fingers around it, and rubbed the length of it through her slick folds. “Fuck, you’re so wet,” Kylo growled as he gripped her ass and tried to lift her up so he could line himself up with her sweet little cunt.

Giving in to his efforts, Rey placed his tip against her and dropped her forehead against his, both of them staring into each other’s eyes with blown pupils and open mouths that panted heavily. Slowly, she sank down onto him inch by inch and whimpered at the feeling of her stretching to accommodate his girth. No one had ever filled her like Kylo did, and she marveled in the way he stuffed every crevice of her. “Shit, _Freya_ , you’re still so tight. You’re so fucking tight and wet…” he groaned, holding onto her for dear life as he finally bottomed out and Rey had every inch of him inside of her.

For a moment, they just shared each other’s breaths and got used to the feeling of each other before Rey lifted herself up and sank back down with a shuddering breath. The fire crackled beside them as their soft moans echoed in the cave, but Rey only grew louder when Kylo pushed a hand between them and began to roll his fingers against her clit. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as he started to push her to the edge. Rey just mewled at the statement and dug her fingers into his shoulders, one of her nails sinking into a black tattoo of a rune.

Each time she fell down upon his thick cock, a jolt of pleasure went up her spine and she swore she could feel the tip of him against his womb. The thought of her being pregnant while they were fucking right now in the middle of a cave made her shiver and she rolled her hips down against him which earned her a low hiss. Kylo sped up his fingers against her clit and added more pressure, only tipping her closer to the edge as she picked up the pace with heavy breaths.

With a final, and spontaneous, slap to her clit, Rey jolted forward and came with the cry of, “ _Kylo_!” as he started to snap his hips up into her. Kylo worked her through her orgasm with slow circles to her sensitive nub before she started to clench around him with those wet, velvety walls he got so easily lost in. It wasn’t even a minute later that he was spilling himself inside of her with a deep groan. Together, they collapsed against the floor and held each other close; their breaths, the water, and the fire the only things filling the air. 

*****

Rey worried at her nails as the fire crackled beside her and filled the cave with shadows. Kylo had left only ten minutes ago to head back to the village to round up her women and supplies for her journey. All she could think of was him getting caught and killed and never coming back to her. She couldn’t help but start to think about what she should do if that were to happen. There was no other option than to go ahead with the plan and find her family, for even if Kylo was to be killed and the wedding immediately dropped, she should at least return to her father.

Sighing, Rey rose to her feet and began to pace around the cave as she let her thoughts consume her. This was about to be the hardest journey she would ever make and with the impending threat of snow any day, just like her escape attempt with her women that Kylo was on his way to retrieve right now. Oh Gods, now she was bringing her friends into this mess. Rey already knew she’d have to brief everyone on what was going on and they’d probably be extremely stunned, but now she was dragging them into a journey that would require all of their strength.

Could she do this without them if they didn’t want to go?

Tears began to well up in her eyes at the thought that her friends may turn this down, but another part of her reminded her they’d wanted to escape a month ago and that probably hadn’t changed. The small crack of a stone landing on the cave floor made her jump and grab for her sword, but she spotted the black rock wobbling on the floor just a few feet away instead of some perpetrator. Fuck, she was scared.

It all crashed down on her then that Rey was utterly and completely _scared_.

There was no telling how this journey would go. Someone could get hurt, someone could be killed, someone could get lost. Hell, they could all lose themselves in multiple ways on this trip. And to top it all off, the thought of a child growing inside of her depending on her strength too only made the tears finally slip down her cheeks. It felt like a heavy numbness had taken root within her heart and was now starting to spread through her veins. Kylo would depend on her, a baby would depend on her, her women would depend on her, even she would depend on herself. 

Taking in a breath to try and steady herself, Rey fell back down onto the floor and set the sword to the side before gathering herself up in her arms to cry silently. She closed her eyes and before she knew it, Danish was spilling out of her mouth with a silent plea, “Gud… Odin… hør mig nu. Jeg har brug for din styrke og vejledning til denne rejse, jeg pågår. Det kræver alt, hvad jeg har at give, så jeg beder om din hjælp nu. Vær venlig… hold mig, mine kvinder, Kylo, og mit mulige børnesikker.” _God… Odin… hear me now. I need your strength and guidance for this journey I am going on. It requires everything I have to give, so I ask for your help now. Please… keep me, my women, Kylo, and my possible child safe._

When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the empty cave and tried to ignore the realization that she was alone. Of course no holy figure was going to materialize in front of her, but she wished for any kind of sign that either of the men she’d just addressed were listening to her. But nothing happened and Rey sighed, resting her chin on her knees as she waited patiently and let the tears dry off her face from the flames that flickered less than a foot away.

It wasn’t until about an hour later did she hear noise outside the cave and she finally rose to her feet, grabbing her sword at the ready as she took a defiant stance and craned her neck to see who was coming. Relief filled her entire body when Kylo came into view, four women filing in behind him. She dropped the sword and raced forward, flinging her arms around her strong Viking as happy tears picked up and a smile filled her face. “Everything was okay then?” she breathed out into his shoulder.

He nodded quickly and held her back just as tight. “Yes, everything was okay.” When her heart finally calmed down, Rey pulled away and turned her blurry eyes to her friends who confusedly looked between them. Ignoring it for the time being, though, Rey launched herself towards them and hugged them in a giant group embrace. “Thank the Gods you’re all okay. I was so worried about all of you,” Rey whispered when all of their heads connected in the center. “Rey… what’s going on?” Rose was the first to speak when they released each other and moved deeper into the cave.

Nibbling on her bottom lip and flicking her gaze over to Kylo who had hardened his features like he usually did around people he didn’t know, Rey gestured to the fire and said softly, “Why don’t you all sit down? We have a lot to talk about.” And they did. Rey started from the very beginning after their attempt to escape with Kylo taking care of her when she’d hurt her head. She left out the parts where they’d had sex, but she tried to imply that relations had occurred between them as they started opening up to each other. Rey explained how their relationship began to steer towards love and the anxiety of the impending wedding he was going to be forced into.

She dove into the main reason why tensions had risen so much lately, that she may actually be Viking royalty due to Snoke’s suspicions and the stories that seemed to line up with her own background. Kylo pitched in a few times to add in details of how negotiations had gone sour, how desperate he was to protect Rey, and he was even the one to give the news that Rey may be pregnant with his child. And after all of that, together they revealed the real reason why all of them were in the cave right now. They told them the plan, showed them the map, gave them the estimated time it would all take, and ran over all the ways the idea could go wrong.

By the time they’d finished spilling everything to the four girls, the fire was burning low in front of their little group and the women stared back at them with open mouths and wide eyes. Phasma was the first one to speak, her eyes the only ones staring down into the barely living fire. “Rey… I am fourteen years older than you, in fact, I am the oldest one out of this entire group. I feel now is the best, and perhaps the only time to tell you I was a teenager when you came to the village.”

All eyes quickly flicked to Phasma, but she didn’t let her gaze leave the orange and red flames tickling the charred wood. “What do you mean?” Rey asked, shuffling forward with desperate eyes as Kylo wrapped an arm around her torso for support. “I never thought anything of it… the woman knew English and had said she was looking for a place to settle down after running away from an arranged marriage with the child she had with the man she truly loved, so we welcomed the both of you with open arms and never asked another question. I didn’t know she’d told you a different story…”

Phasma finally looked up to meet Rey’s watery eyes, her own complexion pale as her mind began to piece together everything Rey had just told her. “What are you saying, Phasma? That… that Maz brought me to England? That I wasn’t abandoned at the village where she found me?” The older woman visibly swallowed and nodded. “We never really talked, Rey, since I was so much older. There was no reason for me to tell you. How was I even supposed to… to know…” 

Kylo stepped in then as Rey let out a strangled cry and tore her gaze away from her friend. “The woman that took care of her, Maz, she brought Rey to England and spoke English?” Phasma nodded wordlessly and the entire cave went silent even though everyone’s thoughts seemed to be so loud. It was his soft murmur that caught everyone’s attention only a little while later. “They were planning this…” 

Rey turned her head to the side and frowned deeper, wiping away her tears as she choked out, “What?” Leaning away from the group and grabbing for the extra bag of supplies he’d snagged while getting the women, Kylo rummaged around before he pulled out a leather bound book that was the main source of information on Sigrid the Proud and her life. He flipped through the pages intently, then flipped some more, and finally found a page that had him furrowing his eyebrows and parting his lips.

“-and among her shieldmaidens were the brave Aud Ofeigdottir, Inga Thialfidottir, Arnmazla Kanadottir, Hallfrid Hafgrimdottir, and Freygerd Otkeldottir…” Rey suddenly reached for the book and snatched it from him, staring down at the giant writing and scanning the page until she found the list of names. “Arnmazla Kanadottir…” Rey whispered. Smack in the middle of the full name was the name Maz. 

Everything suddenly fell perfectly into place with what Phasma had just fessed up and with the description the book contained. “My mother gave me to one of her most trusted shield maidens to protect me… but protect me from what? What happened to my mother? Why did Maz know English? What were they preparing for? Why did Maz lie?” Rey blindly questioned, looking at all of her friends and Kylo with desperate eyes. 

But none of them had the answers. 

“I think all we can assume was that your mother wanted you out of there and it wasn’t a spur of the moment intention if your guardian learned English,” Kylo gently offered as he leaned over to take the book from her.

Rey held back her tears this time simply for the fact that her head was spinning with a million questions, theories, and possibilities, but Kylo seemed to sense her lack of being in the present. “Why don’t you go ahead and go to sleep? You have a long day tomorrow,” he suggested softly. Rey nodded without saying anything and slowly leaned back, curling up on her side with her back facing the group as they started to speak in low voices behind her while her mind reeled. 

Kylo nervously glanced at Rey’s turned back, but gave in with a sigh and met the anxious eyes of the women he’d just helped leave the village. Fuck, he was going to be in such big trouble when all of them were missing tomorrow. He was already planning the story in his head- something about how the women went to save Rey when they heard word he was planning to kill her so he had to take them out too. _Yeah, that worked_. “This is going to be a hard journey, then?” Tallie questioned when he met their eyes.

He nodded and reached out to stoke the fire back to laugh as he explained, “It will take all of your strength and will, but you’ll have each other and Rey has the map. I’m sure it’ll be alright.” Rose cocked her head to the side to glance at her best friend who, from this angle, looked asleep. “You love her?” Rose quipped, not taking her eyes off the huddled form of Rey beside him. “Yes. I’d do anything for her.” No one spoke for the rest of the night after that and when the fire finally did go out, everyone was already asleep.

*****

Rey woke the next morning to the sound of things being packed and a sturdy hand shaking her shoulder. Groaning a little, Rey rolled over to meet the sad but firm eyes of Kylo who peered down at her. It dawned on her then that today was the day the plan was being put into action. Her bottom lip wobbled with the heavy understanding she wouldn’t be seeing her lover for months and neither of them would be able to inform the other if they were okay. 

She jolted up and flung her arms around his neck, crying softly into his shirt as he wrapped his own arms against her. “Jeg elsker dig. Jeg elsker dig så meget. Glem det aldrig. Hvert minut du er væk fra mig, tænker jeg på dig. Du er indgraveret i min sjæl, Freya, og jeg vil tage enhver åndedrag, vel vidende, at jeg er din,” Kylo breathed. _I love you. I love you so much. Never forget that. Every minute you are away from me, I will think of you. You are engraved in my soul, Freya, and I will take every breath knowing that I am yours._ She nodded at his words meant only for her ears and pulled away to press her salty lips against his.

“Be strong for me, Kylo, because I’m about to be strong for you,” she begged him when she leaned her forehead against his and savored the feeling of them breathing the same air. Kylo nodded and kissed her one more time, one of his hands threading into the base of her hair that she knew he loved so much. They pulled away after a few more moments of cherishing each other, then Kylo began to shrug off the fur around his shoulders. “Here, this is for you,” he stated, handing it to her with determined eyes.

She opened her mouth to say something, but finally just offered him a loving smile and took it from him to wrap it around herself. When she reached down for the throwing axe in her belt, Kylo raised an eyebrow, but he just watched as she grabbed a lock of her hair and swiftly sliced it off. He blinked a few times in astonishment at the action she knew was probably giving him a heart attack, but she placed the lock into his palm and curled his fingers over it. “You love my hair. I know you do. Braid this for me when you miss me,” she mused. 

He stared down at the brown lock, and it was then that his eyes began to well up with tears. But he clenched his jaw, lifted his chin, and gave her a curt nod to show he would be strong. Rey lifted her hand and cupped the side of his face one final time before she rose to her feet and turned to the group of the women that had finished packing up their supplies and were now waiting for her. “Alright… are we ready?” Rey questioned, slipping the axe back into the belt around her dress before bending down to grab her sword on the floor.

They all nodded wordlessly and began to head towards the mouth of the cave, Rey following slowly behind. As they began to slip out behind the tumbling water, Rey turned to give Kylo one last desperate look, his own face looking distressed. “Vær med mig,” _Be with me_ , Rey whispered at the last minute. Kylo took in a deep breath and nodded, “Altid.” _Always_. And with that, Rey was slipping out and leaving her lover behind with the knowledge she wouldn’t see him for many months. 

Kylo watched her figure sink out of view, and he finally let the tears fall. He should’ve cried in front of her, he knew that, but she needed strength right now and he frankly did too. He opened up his palm to look at the long lock of her hair that dangled over his pale skin and the tear that fell upon it instantly curled the small strands it had landed on. Quickly tucking it back into his pocket, Kylo grabbed his sword and kicked the remains of the fire so nothing would catch anymore.

He grabbed up the knapsack containing the things that had come from their home, but then he started on his way out of the cave on the opposite side Rey had exited from. The wind was cold outside and he shivered a little when it hit his barely clad body. But of course he would give her his fur, why wouldn’t he? He loved her and he wanted her to know it. Willing himself not to cry at that fact, or look behind him in hopes of seeing them ascend the slopes, Kylo continued on the path back home.

He was lucky when he finally made his way back inside the strangely empty feeling house without any encounters, but now came the hard part. Dropping the bag and clutching his sword, Ben went around back and spotted the surprisingly still alive livestock that pecked and ate at the grass. Managing to catch a chicken, one of Rey’s sweet things, he hauled it back inside and promptly ended its life, making sure to smother his hands with blood and flick some onto his face for extra effect. 

He slid the blade through the dark blood as well, then deemed himself good enough to head down to the village where he could convince everyone he had killed his precious servant and her friends when they’d attempted to come to her rescue. Putting on his tough face and remembering the lock of hair in his pocket, Kylo stepped out of the home and began to descend the slope to the village. 

Gasps and wide eyes followed him as he walked through the town to reach the lodge his parents were in, the image of him covered in blood not really something someone planned to see when they woke up in the morning. The guards outside of the giant home startled at the sight of him, but were quick to alert whoever was inside before they allowed him to enter. “Where’s that fucking-” Snoke had snarled from within, stopping immediately in his tracks when he caught sight of Kylo standing in the doorway covered in blood. 

Even his sword dripped onto the floor. 

Everyone made an audible sound of shock at the sight of him, but Kylo just dug into his pocket and pulled out the lock of Rey’s hair before tossing it onto the table. He turned his gaze to his mother then whose own mouth was wide open in horror. “You wanted her dealt with? She’s gone. So are her friends. They came looking for her when they didn’t see her in town and heard word I’d made a scene. They’re all taken care of,” he stated as darkly as possible. 

Snoke slowly approached the end of the table and picked up the lock of hair, observing the blood Kylo’s hand had smeared onto it. 

_Don’t fucking touch her hair_ , Kylo was screaming, but he had to play it safe for right now.

“I must admit, I didn’t think you had it in you when you made a scene defending the poor thing… how kind it was of you to kill her yourself. A mercy…” Snoke murmured with fake sadness. But he turned his gaze to Kylo and offered a sickly sympathetic smile that was obviously fake. Kylo could tell the man was absolutely fucking ecsatic at the news. “Before you get excited, I have things to say,” Kylo growled.

The scarred man’s face quickly sank to something resembling a frown, but he moved back to his seat and sat down along with everyone else who was still staring at him in disbelief. Kylo lifted the sword a little and shoved it into the wood by his feet, Zorii jumping a little at the action while the sword stayed put when he let go. 

Bending over the table and bracing himself with flat palms, Kylo shot a glare to every single person and said sternly, “I want the wedding in a year and a half. I want to order enough ale that every man and woman is drunk within the first hour of celebrating and I want enough food that people leave ten pounds fatter than when they arrived. 

“I want every flower imported for her boat and kransen and decorations for the entire village. I want to invite everyone _we_ know, everyone _your_ tribe knows, and I even want to invite the people we hate so they can look upon our marriage with envy. I want a child within the first year we’re together, maybe fucking two if I’m lucky. These are my demands and I will take no other offers. I want this done properly, not in a rush because you were scared of a bed maid I did nothing more than fuck and order around. 

“Oh, and because of that, too, I want ten fucking bed maids from your tribe- your finest ones to make up for the excellent one I had.” The entire room was so silent, the only thing that could be heard was the rasping breath of Kylo as he stared every single person down except for Zorii who just kept her head bowed and looked uncomfortable. His mother spoke first, breaking the silence to rise to her feet and say softly, “I agree to your terms.” Han stood next after a moment and huffed uncomfortably, “I agree to the terms.” 

Everyone looked to Snoke and Zorii on the opposite side, but it was surprisingly Zorii who rose to her feet and hesitantly met his eyes. “I agree to your terms…” she whispered, then looked away and pursed her lips. With everyone else in agreement, Snoke was the last person to speak. He stared at Kylo for a good while, rubbing the crease between his lips with his index finger before he sighed and finally stood. “I agree to the terms.” 

Nodding, Kylo grabbed his sword from the wood it was still shoved into, then growled out, “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go wash off the blood of five perfectly good women while you write down the terms.” 

He snatched up her lock of hair before he left the lodge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's pretty much it for all of the hidden backstory and knowledge, so no more edging y'all on with the mystery that is rey's life. it's all uphill (or maybe downhill...) from here


	13. Strong and Loyal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH!! so glad i could get this update to y'all, even if it is ten pm here. hope y'all enjoy, and as always, please be kind in the comments if you can help it :)

Rey trudged through the snow with a grunt, pulling her fur a little closer to her body as she headed back to the small camp they’d made the night before within the forest. The white weather wasn’t too high, only about to her shins, but she still had to take heavy steps to make her way through it. Breakfast hadn’t settled well with her this morning and only about ten minutes after she had swallowed her meal, she was throwing it up a few feet away from the camp into the pure snow.

She wiped the back of her wrist across her mouth and swore under her breath before entering the little lean-to shelter made out of fallen logs and branches resting against two close together trees. Her friends were all sat around the fire with their own furs tugged tightly to their body, shivering a little as a cold breeze came into the home. “Everything okay?” Kaydel asked, the first person to catch sight of her outside. Rey nodded when she squatted down and finally sat on the dead earth they’d cleared of snow last night.

It had snowed a few days ago, stopping them from moving further like she’d expected, but there didn’t seem to be another winter storm coming and it also didn’t seem like it was going to melt anytime soon. With a sigh, she rubbed her hands together, then shoved them openly towards the fire to absorb the heat like the rest of them. “Do you think it’s morning sickness, then?” Rose questioned softly, everyone anxiously looking around at the suggestion.

Rey nibbled on her bottom lip and finally gave in with a nod. This was the fourth time it had happened within this week alone and they’d been traveling now for two and a half weeks. It was only a matter of days before they finally reached her father’s kingdom, though to be honest, she wasn’t really sure what she was looking for. They’d passed through a few small villages that were obviously farmers who had confirmed they were going in the right direction, but they also avoided larger towns that promised certain demise if they passed through.

She lifted a hand to touch her stomach through the thick fabric of her dress, then sighed a little. “Alright… it’s obvious the snow isn’t melting anytime soon and we need to stay on course. It’s low enough that we can keep going, but I don’t want to push anything without the approval of the group,” Rey informed gently, but she kept her face firm to let them know they were so close to finally achieving the goal that seemed so distant when they first left. Rey’s heart longed for Kylo every single minute they were away and most of her thoughts while walking were occupied of him.

Was he okay? Was he alive? Was he staying true to his word? Was he standing up against Snoke? Was he thinking of her? Was he missing her?

She assured herself that he was alright and missing her just as much as she was missing him- that was the only thing keeping her going instead of collapsing in the snow and giving up. 

The journey had been hard so far.

No, scratch that. The journey had been _treacherous_. 

Her muscles ached every single day and her stomach growled with hunger throughout the day. Half of their trek had been filled with the ups and downs of climbing mountains and getting over rocky terrain while the other half had been filled with trying not to get lost in the damn woods like the ones they were currently sitting in. Phasma had given the brilliant idea to make an arrow out of sticks pointing in the direction they needed to go so they wouldn’t get confused when they woke the next day. 

The temperature had dropped to an icy bite that left her fingers and toes numb and her nose even started to suffer sometimes from the wind that came sharp and unforgiving. At night, they cuddled together while the sounds of wolves howling drifted in the air and gave off the impression the hounds weren’t far from where they were. Food had started to run low just a little after the first week, so they’d been rationing what they had left while also trying to catch whatever they could find hopping around.

Rey had never really been a fan of rabbit or squirrel, but she happily made do when her stomach muscles cramped for something to eat. On the ninth day, they’d come across a giant stream that allowed them to catch enough fish to fill their bellies for that night and the following day. What they didn’t eat, they packed in snow and wrapped with an extra fur to preserve the cold. It was obvious they were tired, sore, hungry, and anxious. 

Even though they’d been assured by kind farmers they were going in the right direction, they were severely unprepared for what to expect when they finally stumbled upon her father’s kingdom. Would there even be a castle? He was the king of Denmark… but he was also a Viking and castles didn’t seem to fit their standard of living like the kings of England liked. Rey figured it would probably be a massive village with a giant longhouse obviously meant for a king, but she wasn’t sure. 

None of them were. 

She’d lost weight at a frightening pace- they all had- but now she feared for the baby growing inside of her. Rey didn’t have to see the wheat and barley test to know she was pregnant. She was well overdue her bleeds and the sickness she experienced when waking up only confirmed the suspicions she’d had nearly three weeks ago. It felt strange to recognize her thoughts of pregnancy three weeks ago, and the fact she’d probably already been pregnant before considering the idea scared her even more. 

If Snoke had never come and Zorii had never mentioned anything about fertility and sexuality, Rey probably wouldn’t have suspected anything until her belly began to swell about three or four months down the line. She was already so tiny… she couldn’t imagine herself with a stomach so full and round in front of her. But she welcomed it all the same, a warmth blooming in her heart when she remembered that it was her and Kylo’s baby. It was a part of him growing inside of her, too, and in some ways, it felt like she was carrying him with her through this journey though he was so far away. 

Her hand rubbed a soothing circle into her still relatively flat stomach as she met the hardened eyes of her women whose cheeks had started to sink in and dark circles had begun to form above their cheek bones. “I can keep going,” Tallie finally whispered, the first one to admit they were willing to pursue their goal despite the snow. Eventually, everyone else agreed and then they were taking down the shelter to pack up branches that would contribute to their next shelter.

Rey carried half the bound branches on her back when they walked, Rose carrying the other half. Phasma carried the clothes knapsack, Tallie carried the food bag, and Kaydel carried the miscellaneous things like pans, the map, and bandages for medical emergencies. Within the hour, they were starting to head through the forest in the direction the arrow had pointed them in. “Rey?” Rose asked after a few minutes of slowly weaving through looming trees that had lost their leaves. 

“Yeah?” Rey hummed, looking over her shoulder to catch her best friend’s eyes momentarily. “What happens after your father decides to help us? Or… if he decides to help us? What do we do after that?” Rey quickly looked away and trained her eyes on the ever expanding landscape in front of them. “We convince him to round up an army and come back to the village with us. And when we get there… I’m not sure. With a new status, I’d be able to take Kylo out of the marriage with a proposition of my own, but if Snoke refuses and demands a war, then I will fight.”

The only sound for a while was that of the soles of their boots shifting through the snow and the laborious breathing, but Kaydel finally spoke after a long period of silence. “Rey… you’re pregnant. How could you possibly…” She didn’t have to finish the sentence to display her concern for the idea of Rey fighting to the death with a baby inside of her. And by the time she was going to be back, she’d definitely be showing. That much was certain. “I’ll fight for what’s mine,” Rey stated firmly when she collected her thoughts after a moment. No one spoke after that.

*****

Kylo stared at the small green sprouts peeking out from both piles of dirt Rey had left behind nearly a month ago. 

He clenched his jaw at the knowledge he had that she wouldn’t know until she returned, but his heart had started beating faster nonetheless at the thought of twins. Fuck, they were going to have two little ones that looked like them by the time winter rolled around next year. If he felt a little winded after that concept, it was no one’s business but his own. Kylo could already see a brown death starting to crawl over the green tendrils coming out of the earth, a result of the snowfall that had happened a few days ago, and worry quickly took over joy.

He turned his gaze to the mountainous terrain looming in the distance, his only hope that Rey and her women had safely made it over the highest points these past few weeks and had gotten to the forests where their only struggle would be getting through the snow. He wouldn’t even allow himself the thought that they could be dead or trapped somewhere- no. 

No, he wasn’t going to think that. 

The sound of snow crunching behind him was ultimately what pulled him from his fretting mind, but when he looked over his shoulder at the approaching figure, the last person he expected to see was his mother. Leia’s grey hair was wound beautifully about her head, one of the many things from their culture she adored the most, and Kylo had to give it to her that he was thankful for the lessons she’d taught him about braiding. 

Rey’s lock of hair was woven into the side of his own braid, a decision he’d made just a day after her absence. 

But he wasn’t going to think about that right now either. 

Leia’s stern but distraught gaze locked with his own and the sound of his bitter voice ringing out in the still air startled him for a moment. “What are you doing here?” he bit out, turning back around to look at the slowly dying wheat and barley sprouts. “I came to talk to you.” Her voice was firm, but he was tuned to the way she hid her emotions so well that he could pick out the slight waver behind her words. “I don’t want to talk to you,” Kylo stated sternly. Finally, he turned around and started to walk towards the house, brushing past his mother without actually touching her.

Kylo could see the way she pursed her lips, but when she followed behind him towards the lodging, he didn’t stop her. She came into the quiet household and raked her eyes over the cozy little living space, something she’d never actually stepped foot into before. The first thing she picked up on was the bow and arrows that rested in the corner by the door, a small little thing she’d never seen him wield before. “I assume that’s not yours,” she pointed out, staring at the bow that was obviously meant for a woman.

_Ah, yes, the bow he spent a week looking for after Rey had left with the guess she’d abandoned it when she’d been hurt so long ago in the mountains._

“No,” he agreed gruffly while he gripped the kitchen counter with his back turned to her. It was tense and quiet for a few moments, but he listened to the way she shuffled over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. Leia sat down gently, but Kylo understood the action from the absence of her footsteps without looking at her. “I want to talk to you, Kylo. I think there’s a lot we need to talk about, especially after everything that has happened within the past month.” He shuddered a little at her voice, political as always.

_At what point had he started wishing he just wanted his mother?_

Kylo took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, knowing that this conversation was unavoidable due to the fact she’d just trekked up the slope to his home in the middle of the snow and would most likely use that against him if he told her he wanted her to leave. Straightening out, Kylo turned with a burning glare and met his mother’s cool gaze, walking over to the chair across for her before he sat down as well. For a few minutes, they just stared at each other and he could see the conflict within her just as much as she probably saw the conflict within him.

“I know that… you don’t approve of how Han and I handled your childhood. _I_ don’t approve of how we handled you either, Kylo, and I need you to know that. What we were trying to accomplish with our relationship was… people tried to hurt your father and I because no one had ever talked about breaking those boundaries. The easiest thing to do with you was to send you away before they discovered you and hurt you too.” 

His hands were already forming into white knuckled fists, and he quickly interjected with, “You hurt me more by leaving me behind than anyone could’ve done with a sharp blade or harsh words.” Leia flinched a little at that and looked down at the hands she wrung in her lap.

But Kylo didn’t stop. It was his turn to dump everything on her, to make _her understand_ what made him hate everything they’d done to him. “You were already trying to do something controversial. Adding me to the issue might’ve made it worse, but it wouldn’t have made anything any better either. Sending me away so you could deal with your problems made me feel like I was a problem too. And on top of that, you never even fucking looked back, mom. You never looked back when you left me with your brother.

“I may have been little, but I had feelings too. Do you know what that does to a little boy who’d never been outside before in his goddamn life to suddenly travel across the sea with his mother, frightened, then get dumped with some strange man who spoke a strange language and taught strange notions? You never once considered how I might have felt about it. And when I came back to hear the story you’d made up to make the situation seem justified was a _lie?_ I hated you more than I did when you left,” he spit out. 

Leia warily flicked her eyes up to meet her son’s, a raw anger and sadness covering his face in a way she’d never seen before. And she’d seen him at his downright worst in his late-teen-early-twenties years. She didn’t have to be a genius to know what he was telling her were deep, powerful emotions he’d been bottling up for years. 

“Fuck, when I came back and learned that on top of the lie of the war that you’d been running the tribe for six years… _six goddamn years_ without coming back for me? I wanted to run my whole fist through this lousy fucking village.” 

He ran a hand through his hair, fucking up his braids the same way Rey did when she wanted to play with the black strands or fuck him. God, he missed her so much. He missed her smile, her laugh, her strength, her touch, her smell, her feel… everything. Nothing would calm him down more right now than the feeling of Rey’s small hand on his shoulder. 

That single touch alone could move the mountains within him. 

“It was hard leaving you behind, Kylo. All three of us were young- you, me, Han- and it was the first thing that came to our minds when word started to come out that your father and I were romantically involved. We panicked, and it was my idea to give you to my brother. I knew you’d be safe there, safer than here with us,” Leia tried again, leaning in a little as she tried to convince him to see her side. Kylo let out an angry breath and turned his gaze to Rey’s bow in the corner.

“What I don’t understand most is why you’re so against the idea of Rey and I being happy like you and dad. You were in the exact same position as her, and I can’t stress enough, the _exact_ same position as her. I understood Jyn because she was from a rival clan south, but Rey? Rey is from your country and I-” he cut himself off then, already giving her too much information about his true feelings for the servant he’d just convinced his parents he’d killed. 

Leia considered her son for a long minute, observing the way he let a certain sadness fill his eyes when he stared at her bow, then nervously looked down to his hands that hung limply on his thighs. “There were so many nights I wished I was one of your father’s people… that I was a shield maiden in his army who he saw across the field and fell in love with. I used to dream of us just being two normal people in this village who were accepted as a couple and celebrated when we announced our marriage. I imagined ourselves married with you by our side as a happy family. But we didn’t get that, Kylo.

“We got people who threatened your father, tried to kidnap me while we slept, attempted to kill us… being pregnant with you was one of the most terrifying times in my life. When you were born, we never thought to ever give you away, but things got worse the more defiant we became with our relationship. I don’t… your father and I don’t want that for you. We want you to marry someone who won’t be controversial like your father and I were. We want you to have children that will be accepted, we want you to have a life filled with happiness, and we want you to thrive as chief when your father passes. 

“Rey is a beautiful woman, I know it. Strong and loyal, too. You love her, and maybe she loves you too, but you would only find the same pain with her that your father and I did if you were to marry.” Finally, she ended her small speech, but Kylo shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. She’s dead,” he stated harshly, standing up from the table to head towards his bedroom only to pause in the hallway with a heavy breath.

But his mother saw right through him and she rose to her feet to take a hesitant step forward. “No she’s not. I may not have been a good mother, Kylo, but I’m still your mother and I see that you love her. You wouldn’t hurt a hair on her body. Did you send her on a boat like you did with Jyn? Her and her friends?” Leia asked cautiously, cocking her head to the side as she observed the way Kylo’s shoulders heaved with a heavy breath.

“What gave it away?” he finally whispered, turning his head to the side, though his eyes were cast down to the floor. “Kylo… her hair is braided into yours. You wouldn’t touch it if you killed her. You’d be disgusted with yourself.” Kylo sagged his shoulders at how right she was and he could feel the emotional distress building within him. He missed Rey more than words could say and talking about his past with his mother was only starting to push him closer to snapping. It didn’t help that she was seeing right through him either. 

Fuck, how could he want comfort from the woman who just told him he couldn’t have Rey? How could he want her to understand when he never even wanted her to know a single thing about him for the majority of his life? How could, after everything she did to him and him to her… how could he still want his mother so much? It was when her small hand touched his shoulder to give him comfort, just like he had wanted from Rey earlier, did he give in.

A jarring, choked sob escaped his throat and he slowly turned around, finally wrapping his arms around his mother to pull her against him and cry into her shoulder. Leia was startled by the sudden affection, but she held her son back just as tightly, tears building behind her eyes as well. “I just wanted you to look at me when you left. I wanted to know you cared,” Kylo confessed into the fur wrapping around her shoulders. Her wrinkled fingers held the back of his head against her and she shook her head minutely against him.

“I always cared. I know I should’ve turned around to see your face one last time. I know I should’ve. Lying to you… not coming to get you as soon as we were married… trying to find suitable women for you… everything hurt because I could see you collapse more and more in on yourself and draw further away from me and your father. We love you so very much, Kylo. We only ever wanted the best for you, but we were so wrong in thinking everything we did was what you wanted too.” He clenched his eyes together tightly and adjusted his grip on his mother to bring her impossibly closer.

Somewhere out in the frozen world, Rey was with her women trying to get to her father so she could fight for their relationship, but inside of his cabin just before the mountain, Kylo was hugging his mother for the first time in years while they cried together in silence. 

And with that in mind, Kylo pulled away from Leia, his hands still on her shoulders, and told her firmly, “I want to marry Rey. I’m in love with her. Please… if there is any part of you that still believes there is hope in saving whatever relationship we have, understand I want this more for myself than anything you and dad could’ve ever given me. Damn societal rules and damn what people think. She’s mine and I’m hers.” 

His mother’s tear covered face looked up at him distraughtly and she reached up to hold his wrists before whispering, “Kylo… the contract has already been signed. Witnesses have already heard you and Zorii. Terms were already agreed upon. This is no longer something I can help you with no matter how much I wish I could…” 

He knew she was right. Even if he could see in her eyes that she desperately wanted to right every single wrong she’d ever committed against him by allowing him to marry Rey, it could only be done by Rey coming back with an army behind her. “Rey is the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard. She’s going to him right now with her women to assemble an army,” Kylo blurted immediately. 

Leia’s face twisted up in instant confusion and she took a step back, still holding her son’s wrists before she looked behind her to the table and murmured, “Maybe we should sit down…” So they did, and Kylo explained everything from Rey and Maz sailing to England when she was a baby to Snoke seeing her mother in Rey’s face to the plan Rey was currently trying to go through with.

When he finally finished, still a little shaky from their sob session, he watched as Leia rubbed the tips of her fingers into her furrowed forehead and nibbled on her bottom lip. “So you’re telling me your bed maid is Viking royalty and she’s currently making a journey across Denmark to find her father, assemble an army, then come back to take your hand in marriage and null the one currently going through,” Leia slowly fed back. Kylo nodded anxiously, his face so obviously covered with anxiety when his mother looked at him with that scolding look she used to give him as a teenager. 

“And… she’s the woman you want? Truly? You’re in love with her?” she pushed, finally setting down her hand so she could lace her fingers together on the table and lean in. “She’s carrying my children,” Kylo stated boldly. Leia let out a puff of air that resembled a laugh of disbelief and shook her head to herself. “Of course she is…” They sat in silence for a while as Leia processed everything that had just been told to her, but she eventually lifted her eyes back to her son and gave a deep sigh. “You have too much of your father in you. Falling in love with bed maids, getting them pregnant, deciding to marry them… Gods…” 

And then, both of their mouths cracked into small smiles and within seconds they were both laughing and filling the house with mirthful sounds. They settled down with kind grins and Leia sat back in her chair, still shaking her head a little but giving in. “If you love her, and if she is who you think she is, then I won’t stand in the way of you marrying her. And should Snoke raise arms against her… your father and I will stand with you.” 

Kylo’s heart lurched in his chest and he nodded quickly, ignoring the way his bottom lip quivered at wanting to cry again. But he reached out instead and gently placed his hand overtop his mother’s. If he looked at her for too long, he began to pick up on things he didn’t really like to observe. He didn’t like the way more wrinkles had grown on her forehead, or that her eyes looked tired, or that her hair was now showing more white than grey. He didn’t like how old she looked. 

“I wasted so much time hating you when all I wanted was to just… talk about how I felt, about how you felt, about all of it. I chased war instead of peace…” Kylo murmured, never looking away from her as she offered a small smile and placed her other hand overtop the one already on her. 

“I still believe that hiding you was the right thing to do while your father and I dealt with the village, but we shouldn’t have lied to you or left you for so long. I’ll never forgive myself, but I’ll try every day to make it better. There is still so much to discuss, Kylo, but I’m happy to have made any ground with you today. And… thank you. For telling me about Rey, I mean. I can tell you love each other very much. It reminds me of myself and Han, in a way.”

He just nodded with a smile of his own and gave her one last statement before she left, “If you want the best for me, and you want to make things better, then let me do what I want to do. I am still your son, but I am my own person too.”

*****

Five days passed and the snow had finally melted down to ankle level. 

The forest had long passed and nothing but rolling hills stretched in front of Rey and the others. She had her eyes cast down to the frozen landscape below her, watching as her hot breath rolled into steam when it collided against the chilling wind. “Look!” Rose shrieked from behind her, everyone stopping suddenly as they looked up and widened their eyes at the giant village resting in the distance. It spanned quite a great deal bigger than Kylo’s village, and tears began to rise in Rey’s eyes at the sight.

“That’s it. That’s my father’s home,” she whispered into the air, only looking back at her women with a wide smile as they began to laugh, cheer, and cry. She flung herself through the snow at her friends and pulled them into a giant hug, only pulling away a few minutes later to start racing through the snow in the direction of the town. They ran after her, all of them giddy beyond belief as they grew closer and closer to the village. Tall walls made of spiked logs bordered the settlement, and Rey could spot guards outside the nearer they got. 

And soon, they were panting just a few feet away from the gates with wide eyes and giant grins as the two men stationed outside halted them with an angry, “Hvem går der?” _Who goes there?_ Rey stepped forward and held up her hands in peace before breathing out, “Vær venlig, jeg hedder Freya. Jeg er datter af Sigrid den Stolte og Sweyn Forkbeard og er endelig vendt hjem. Jeg vil tale med min far… vær. Dette er mine skjoldspiger, og vi har rejst meget langt.” _Please, my name is Freya. I am the daughter of Sigrid the Proud and Sweyn Forkbeard and have finally returned home. I want to talk to my father… please. These are my shield maidens and we have traveled very far._

The two men looked at each other in concern, not knowing if they should take her words as genuine or not. “Vær venlig. Jeg blev taget af min mors skjoldpige, Arnmazla Kanadottir, da jeg bare var en baby og ført til England. Jeg har rejst langt for at vende hjem. Jeg må tale med min far,” _Please. I was taken by my mother's shield maiden, Arnmazla Kanadottir when I was just a baby and brought to England. I have traveled a long way to return home. I must talk to my father,_ Rey pleaded gently with desperate eyes.

As if that name sparked something of shock within both of the men, they quickly hollered up to someone on top of the log wall and before she knew it, Rey was watching the men reach out and take their things from them as the wooden gates opened. Tears of relief streaked down her cheeks as she thanked them a million times, her women sobbing out of pure happiness behind her as a few more guards approached with giant eyes and started to guide them towards where she hoped her father would be.

Rey could only pick up murmurs around her from the guards that shuffled them through the streets. Things like _she looks just like her_ or _she has his eyes_ . Villagers roaming around stopped with uncertain faces as they watched the five women get paraded down the central road towards a magnificent lodge that looked about three stories tall. Yes, definitely a castle made for a Viking. Rey just held hands with her friends as they soaked everything in as fast as possible and approached the magnificent household. “Vent her, mens vi får din far,” _Please wait here while we get your father,_ one of the men instructed respectfully. 

She nodded and took the time to turn to her friends who all stared at her like this was insane. “We did it. We made it,” Rey gasped when she met their stunned eyes. A few more tears slipped out and they all smiled at each other before embracing one last time.

 _Kylo, if you can hear me, we made it_ , Rey thought strongly.

But the doors were opening again behind her and Rey turned around, putting on the bravest face she could before she was greeted by the guard who had gone inside and now extended his arm behind him to welcome her in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh! so we broke a little ground with Leia and Kylo in this chapter!! i don't think it was anything too deep, just reaching a middle ground between each other and understanding the others were both conflicted with the emotions concerning each other inside of themselves. i didn't want to give y'all this huge ass essay conversation of them delving into every problem because i felt like showing raw emotion already spoke volumes, and i hope y'all are okay with that. 
> 
> this fic is starting to move at a pretty quick pace, which i really enjoy because it makes everything feel tense in my opinion, but for those of you who don't like it... i'm sorry. this is a lot of ground and time to cover for only so many chapters left and i'm really trying my best to give you guys everything we both want, so hang in there if you can xx
> 
> i know i'm rambling, i just see y'all getting anxious about how this is gonna end and it's starting to make me nervous too. AH!! y'all have no idea how excited i am for what's going to happen.
> 
> (also, if you're still reading down here, this is so fucking embarrassing but can anyone tell me how to link things in the notes section instead of the overall text section? i really want to link outfits and other inspo without it being a real part of the chapter and i see other people do it all the time)


	14. New Chief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the chapter :) everything starts to set into motion in the next one, so consider this the calm before the storm...

Rey followed behind the guard to the stairs leading towards the second story.

Her heart thundered painfully in her chest and all she could focus on was the sound of their heavy steps upon creaky old boards. The echoes of men angrily talking above them only made her anxiety worse, but Rey kept her chin held high and took one step at a time until they were leveling out and reaching the second story. The giant room was spacious and mostly empty except for a large fur rug covering the majority of the floor and a magnificent wooden throne at the very back that faced them.

Torches sat on wooden beams to light the room up where sunlight couldn’t, and weapons lined the walls in case the lodge was attacked. Four men stood on top of the rug, in the middle of an argument, but one of the men had his back facing Rey while the others quickly stopped whatever they were fighting about to look at her and go pale. Seeming to realize they’d been struck by something, the man whose back was facing her quickly turned around, but immediately froze at the sight of her.

Rey’s breath left her body as she stared at a man with her eyes and high cheekbones. She could tell his hair was meant to be blonde, small streaks of it running through the greying strands, so she quickly figured everything else looked like her mother on her face. “Sigrid?” the man whispered in astonishment, taking a cautious step forward before he narrowed his eyes, parted his lips, then shook his head and corrected, “ _Freya?_ ” The smile that bloomed over Rey’s face caused an instant light in her father’s eyes and before she knew it, tears were slipping down her face yet again as she nodded.

“Hej, far…” _Hi, father…_ Rey whispered, nervously biting her lip as she shifted on her feet. The men behind him dropped to their knees in the next second, bowing their heads as the guard that had escorted them did so as well. Her friends nervously did it too, not really sure if they were supposed to or not, but Sewyn was urging everyone to rise before he strode across the room and abruptly brought her into a giant bear hug. “Oh, my Freya… you’ve come home,” he breathed happily into her ear.

A little shocked at the English, but reminded that Maz had known it too, Rey saved the questioning for later and hugged him back fiercely. “I never thought I’d meet you,” she told him honestly, closing her eyes as she buried her face into the fur draped around his shoulders. His long, shoulder-length hair tickled a little, but she didn’t mind in the slightest because he was here. _Really_ here in front of her after twenty-three years. Sweyn pulled away to rest his hands on either side of her face and soak in her features.

“You’ve grown so much. You look just like her… lips, nose, jaw, hair, even her freckles she had.” Rey smiled under his attention, but turned to look at her women who shakily rose to their feet and nervously looked around. “We’ve traveled across the country and-” she started, but her father quickly raised his hand and said firmly, “Say no more. We’ll find lodging for your women and bring all of you fresh clothes. There will be a feast tonight, but I’ll have food set up downstairs beforehand.” 

Rey nodded and turned back to hug her father one last time. “There is so much I have to tell you,” she told him softly, squeezing her eyes shut to savor this moment. “Yes, I’m sure there is.”

*****

Everyone was stuffed at the table as joyous celebration went on around them. The entire village had been invited to the feast in the lodge and toast after toast had been made to Freya Forkbeard, the child who had disappeared over twenty years ago. 

Rey giggled a little when she looked over at her friends to her right at the head table who were still gorging themselves, but Rey had eaten way too much already and was sure her baby was happy with finally having a full stomach. At the thought, she looked down at her stomach that seemed to already have a small bit of roundness to it, though that was only if she really stared at it.

Rey smiled a little and ran her hands over the dress, looking back up only a moment later to take in the scenery of joyous people drunkenly celebrating and eating with wide grins and full laughs. “My daughter, why did it take you so long to come back to me?” her father asked suddenly to her left, his eyes filled with nothing but adoration as he gazed upon her. 

Rey gave him a sad look and quickly explained, “Maz never told me about you and mom. She told me I was left at a village and she took me in. I know now she did it to protect me in case anyone came looking so I would believe that truth, but she died before she could tell me who I really was.

“The women that I’ve brought with me come from the village in England I grew up in. We were raided, you see, by Vikings living along the coast here in Denmark. So without knowing, I was brought back to where I was from. I was taken in by a man called Kylo, a very strong Viking in the village, and he’s been taking care of me. Technically, I’m his servant, but he always treated me as an equal. We… we are a couple. I am pregnant with his child and I plan to marry him when I return.” 

Her father blinked a few times at everything she’d just briefly given him, then his eyes flicked down to the hands on her relatively normal looking stomach. “He must be a fine man, then, to woo my daughter and give her a child,” Sweyn finally stated, giving her a proud look and nod of his head as a genuine smile spread over his lips. “When will you return, then? When the weather is better? Not much time to spend with your father now, is it?” he teased, shoving her gently out of humor.

Rey just laughed and leaned over to rest her head on her father’s shoulder while they both took in the exciting scenery before them. “At the latest, I will return in three months. I’m needed back home… but I need you, too. It’s why I made the journey through such harsh conditions with my women to find you. We only discovered the truth about my home a little over a month ago, and it took us nearly a month to make it here.” Sweyn frowned a little and looked down at his daughter who still kept her eyes trained on the room.

“What do you need _me_ for? Do you want me to come meet the man?” he wondered curiously. Rey sighed and pulled away, fiddling with her hands in her lap before she shook her head, no. “Kylo… he has been forced into an arranged marriage. They haven’t wed yet, but everything has more or less been finalized. I was unable to do anything due to status, but now that we know the truth… I will go back to take his hand instead and null the marriage. The girl he is to be married to, though… her father… his name is Snoke?” Rey looked up warily then to meet her father’s eyes, but his face had screwed up into rage as soon as that name was said.

“Your partner is engaged to _Snoke’s_ daughter? That _murderous_ , shriveled monster?” he spit out, his face turning into a dark shade of red from anger. Rey drew back a little, her own eyebrows knitting up in confusion. “Murderous? You know him then?” Sweyn just gripped the knife in his hand and stabbed it into the wooden table, shaking his head in pure hatred. “That man proposed to your mother long before I did, and she turned him down just as she did with all men.

“Olaf Tryggvason, the Viking _Christian_ King of Norway, tried to propose to Sigrid after Snoke’s attempt and offered her many valuable things… but there was only one condition he wanted her to fulfil, which was to get baptized. When she said no, Olaf slapped your mother in public- a punishable offense. Instead of fighting back, she merely said, ‘This may someday be your death’. 

“She married me soon after, knowing I had already been feuding with Olaf. We declared war against him after our marriage, but she also became pregnant with you after our wedding. The Battle of Svolder was where we let you go, but… Snoke was already one step ahead of us. He’d allied with Olaf in the war out of spite from her rejection and followed your mother and Arnmazla during the battle to the boat that would take you down the stream to the ocean. 

“Your mother died defending your escape, but her body had been thrown into the river never to be seen again in Snoke’s fit of rage. We knew your mother had been murdered by the amount of blood and the fact she never returned… but I knew you’d escaped with someone we trusted and that was enough.” 

_Snoke had killed her mother._

“He… when Snoke came to the village to begin the marriage arrangements… he said I looked like her,” Rey whispered in horror, meeting her father’s eyes in fear. Sweyn just growled a little and turned to face Rey, a large hand resting on her shoulder before he stated firmly, “I will help you take this man down, I will help you marry the man you want, and I will help you with whatever else you should ever need. You are my daughter, and we will not let the man who took your mother and my wife away from us.” 

She nodded, but soon found herself shaking her head. “How do you know it was Snoke who killed my mother?” she asked softly. Sweyn clenched his jaw and said lowly, “He bragged about it. Told everyone he was the one who murdered Sigrid the Proud. No one believed it because her body wasn’t found and no one witnessed it truly except for Maz, but… I know he is the one who did it. I could see it in his eyes.” Rey nibbled at her bottom lip at his recollection and pushed further, “If Olaf was defeated in that battle, how did Snoke get away?”

Her father scoffed in fake amusement and with burned eyes, he stared into her soul as he gritted out, “Ran away like the coward he was. He will not run from our blades this time.” 

Resentment boiled inside of her stomach as well and she pressed her lips together into something serious before giving a curt nod. There would be no talking it out anymore when she returned. No, she was going to run Snoke down and murder the man who had nearly taken everything away from her. “There is just… one problem,” Rey admitted after a moment. 

Sweyn frowned and waited for her to continue. 

Looking at her friends still eating furiously, Rey murmured, “We have no idea how to properly fight.”

_Two Months Later_

Rey sighed as she ran her hand over the very small bump now present on her stomach. After a long time trying to figure out just how far along she was, Rey and her women had guessed about three months and assumed she’d probably be showing quite a great deal more by the time they returned to Kylo. She’d performed the wheat and barley test here at home and had nearly collapsed a week after when she saw two little green sprouts blooming in the separate pots confirming twins. 

Yes, they’d all decided, she’d definitely be showing by five months with twins. 

She was still small enough to fit into her usual dresses, no need for a size up yet, and preferred to fight in them as well. They’d been training with some of her father’s best Vikings- three warriors named Bazine, Cassian, and Babu. All of her women had gotten very good with swords, but Rey still outshone all of them with a bow and throwing axe. She knew Kylo would be proud if he saw how advanced she’d gotten with the weapons she already knew well. 

There had been two more large snow storms within the two months she’d been there, and there was still one more month she’d reside here with her father until they started the month long journey home. As much as she hated to use up the worst case scenario time frame she’d told Kylo before she left, she knew they needed all the time they could get to assemble an army. 

Sweyn had sent out warriors to every ally he had and asked them for their help in whatever war they were bringing to Kylo’s village, which was slowly turning out to be a rather big battle with the numbers her father was bringing in. 

Rey watched the sparring field where men and women trained for the impending encounter, her own women grinning as they fought with trained warriors like they’d been doing this all their lives. It had been decided a while ago that her women would return to her father’s village after the battle since they’d been given respectable statuses that would allow them to live comfortably in the village without being bed maids. 

It hurt for a while to hear that she wouldn’t have her best friends with her when she would stay behind to rule alongside Kylo back at his village, but she knew this was the best that could happen for the women she cared about so much. So she just smiled when she caught their eyes a few times as they dueled, Rey opting to watch from the sideline today because she was feeling a bit nauseous. The sound of her father’s footsteps slowly approaching her pulled her gaze from the field to his warm eyes.

They regarded each other in silence for a while until Rey spoke, “You know, I never did ask you why all of you learned English before Maz and I escaped.” Sweyn considered her statement for a moment, then with a sigh admitted, “Your mother knew if we lost the battle, you’d be taken as a slave by Olaf or killed. As soon as we found out she was pregnant, it was decided we were taking no chances. We all learned English as best as possible in the nine months leading up to the battle and your birth because we hadn’t decided who would leave with you. England seemed like the safest place to send you… far enough away you would be sheltered, but close enough that we could navigate.”

Rey nodded a little, thinking about how Kylo had been shipped away by his parents as well to the foreign country. Yet another string that seemed to tie them together in their ever coincidental relationship.

“Speaking of pregnancies, you’re showing a little bit these days,” he stated fondly. Rey laughed a little and nodded, shaping her hands around the little bump that was her and Kylo’s babies. “Yes… I’ll be bigger by the time we leave.” Sweyn nodded and sighed a little, crossing his arms as they both observed the dueling area. 

“I’ve put in a request for a few horses, just so you don’t have to walk when we head back in a month,” he informed her a while later. Rey thanked him softly, then let her mind drift to what she thought Kylo might be doing. Whatever it was, she certainly hoped it was as calm as her day.

*****

“I will put your _fucking_ head on a spike!” Kylo seethed, a few guards holding him back as he gripped his axe and snarled into the smug face of Snoke. “What’s the harm in what I’ve done? I’ve only brought my army over to ensure my protection,” he explained in that coy fucking voice of his. 

“You don’t need three hundred men to protect you and your daughter when we’ve already given you our sworn protection! There isn’t enough space for your fucking men,” Kylo snarled, finally pulling away from the guards and slamming the axe in the ground.

Snoke just cocked an eyebrow at the display and asked curiously, “Why so afraid of the men I’ve brought over? Expecting something to happen, Kylo?” The younger Viking just growled at that and hissed, “Why are you always assuming I’m fucking plotting something against you? I’ve agreed to marry your daughter with terms _you_ found agreeable! There was no reason to bring over so many goddamn warriors when you were already perfectly secured here! Not only have you invited people to my village, you’ve done so without consulting me. I see this as a sign of mistrust and should there be any feelings of doubt, I will not hesitate to end this marriage.”

The older man’s face twisted into anger and he was pushing through the guards then, abruptly reaching forward to grab the front of Kylo’s shirt only for Kylo to slap his hand away and punch the man directly in the face. The guards pulled out their swords defensively, but Snoke held up a hand as he stumbled away with a shocked expression. 

He reached up to wipe away the blood dripping down his chin from his now split lip and glared as Kylo snarled, “I want an apology for acting behind my back, giving your men orders I didn’t authorize, and assuming I plan to act against you when I’ve given nothing but my loyalty to you and your daughter. And for grabbing me like you just have, you should be thankful I don’t take your fucking hands from you.” 

Snoke spit blood onto the floor, but after a few seething moments, he finally grumbled, “I apologize for bringing my men over without your permission and doubting your intentions with my daughter as well as myself. As for grabbing you, I apologize for any offense I have given. Although I am a chief, and you are not, I will give you my apologies and respect because this is your home. I will see to it that my men are lodged and stay out of your way.” Kylo gave a curt nod, then picked his axe back up before turning to the rest of the room that stared at the interaction with wide eyes.

When he locked eyes with his mother, Kylo noted the reassuring nod from her and calmed a little. “Now that we’ve resolved the issue of three hundred fighters suddenly washing ashore this morning, I have animals to take care of. If there’s anything else that needs to be discussed, speak now or I walk,” Kylo stated firmly, eyeing Snoke as he wiped off his bloody face and sat back down in his chair at the table. 

Poor Zorii, someone Kylo had actually become friends with these past months after agreeing to spend time with her, remained as still as a statue in her seat with her eyes cast down. 

“Your father and I need to speak with you privately,” Leia chirped quickly, all eyes turning to her proud little frame in her chair. Kylo nodded and sat down at the end of the table, waving his hand to Snoke and the others to dismiss them. All of them reluctantly got to their feet and left the lodge to go on with their days until the door finally closed and it was just them alone in the lodge. “We need to discuss you becoming chief,” Han said after a few moments of silence.

Kylo furrowed his eyebrows a little and rushed out, “Are you sick?” Both of his parents shook their hands and Leia leaned in then to wave her hands around as she struggled to find the right words. It was his father who finally spoke, drawing both of their attention to his relatively calm face. “With what you’ve told us about Rey and what might be coming, and especially after that display, we figured it’s probably better if you take over as chief so you can command the army and get a sense of real leadership before she returns. And when she does, you’ll be able to explain her heritage together and announce your decision to get married. It will be easier if you step up now, and I feel you’re ready to take the position.”

He stared at his parents, his heart stopping in his chest at the statement. But he swallowed thickly, lifted his chin, then nodded. “Yes… I will accept the position as chief as soon as you’ll allow it.” Leia’s shoulders sagged in relief and Han let out a puff of thankful air, leaning back in his chair as he nodded slowly and began to stare off in thought. 

“We’ll do it tomorrow, then. We’ll call a village meeting, declare you the new chief, then go through with the proper ceremony.” All he could do was give them a curt nod, then dismiss himself so he could process everything that had already happened today. 

*****

Kylo had trouble sleeping that night.

He fiddled with the lock of hair in his fingers, Rey’s brown strands braided perfectly between two bands that held it all together. Often times he found himself untangling it just to braid it again and repeat the action a few more times. He was sick with missing her. He longed for her touch, to hear her voice, to see her smile, to feel her belly round with their children. It was driving him mad to know he couldn’t hold her growing body against him and kiss her as the fire crackled beside them.

And Gods, did he miss the way Rey felt below him when his cock was buried inside of her. How Kylo longed to hear her soft breaths and moans of his name. Too many times he’d gotten himself off with the thought of her rather than her actually being there. Kylo just… _wanted_ her. He wanted to hold her hand, to press his lips to her, to fuck her senseless, to bathe with her and braid her hair- he wanted all of it more than he could bear. 

Kylo knew she was probably struggling too, but he told himself he could hold out for two more months like they’d planned for the worst case scenario. Anything longer than that, and he was convinced he would promptly kill Snoke himself. But with the army he’d just brought over behind Kylo’s back, there was no way this was going down without a fight now. It seemed like the twisted man was always one step ahead, and maybe he had every right to be since Kylo didn’t bring him Rey’s dead body, he’d already sent one bed maid away to safety, and Snoke had suspected Rey’s legacy. 

Rolling over in bed, Kylo tried to force himself to sleep again with the lock of her hair clutched tightly in his hand, and somehow found peace halfway between hating his overactive brain and thanking it for filling his thoughts with sweet pictures of his beautiful Rey. 

*****

He washed thoroughly the next morning, up early and dressing in his best clothes before heading down to the village. It felt strange to bathe by himself since he’d gotten so used to sharing the steaming water with Rey, but if he closed his eyes, sometimes he could hear her voice in the back of his head while he ran soap over his skin. Kylo had gotten a new tattoo at the top of his spine as well, the Danish Long Branch runes spelling out Rey’s name. 

It had hurt like a bitch with the sharp needle poking into the skin just above his bones, but he wouldn’t change it for the world. He’d washed the fresh ink carefully in his bath to make sure it wouldn’t get infected, praying to Odin the crisp lines would remain straight and dark like his other ones. The last thing he needed right now was a screwed up tattoo on top of an impending secretive battle and him getting the title of chief today. 

_Fuck, he was going to be declared chief today._

Taking in a deep breath, Kylo walked steady through the village until he reached his parent’s lodge and passed by the guards who readily permitted him entry. It felt strange to enter into his parent’s homes so often now. Sure, they had daily conversations with Snoke and his daughter to make sure everything was being prepared for the wedding, but he was already starting to spend more time with his mother and father after the break through he’d had just two months ago with Leia. It had been rocky at first- lots of arguing, raw emotions, and desperation to see one another’s point of view- but they’d finally found peace and began to work on rebuilding a close relationship as a family. 

He often nights ate dinner with them and found himself learning the ways of being chief with his father while his mother filled his head with stories of when he was little. Kylo told them everything about Rey and how much he adored the woman, and he could see them warming to the idea of her and him together every day. And with the added fact she was from Viking royalty, they were smitten with the idea of Kylo marrying a princess. 

Even he smiled a little at the fact he would be marrying a princess, though he sometimes caught himself wishing she’d just been his little orphan bed maid he got to quietly seduce and love. But Rey was the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and Sigrid the Proud, and there was nothing he could do to change that except love her even more. 

When he walked into the home, his eyes immediately found Zorii and Snoke to the right side of the table, as always, while his parents sat to the left. Kylo found his usual spot at the end and sat down, only starting the conversation when the door swung closed behind them. “Will someone tell me what this is all about then?” Snoke snarled, leaning forward anxiously in his chair as the room descended into something tense. 

“It’s been decided that I will be assuming the role of chief today,” Kylo stated sternly, glaring at Snoke as soon as the man’s face started to turn into something of shocked anger. “And this was decided _when?_ ” he demanded, slamming his hand down on the table. Zorii, as usual, flinched a little and sank down into his chair. Kylo had talked to her enough to understand the poor girl was terrified sick of her father and wished nothing more than to finally be free of his grasp.

She’d even gone so far as to hint at the fact that there was a man she actually cared for quite a great deal back at home that wanted to run away with her. And who was Kylo to deny her that right as soon as war broke out and he could have his Rey? 

“It was decided yesterday after three hundred of your men docked along our shore and promptly began to take over a village meant for five hundred who already live here. After all... I see no harm in your daughter marrying someone who will have been chief for nearly two years by then,” Kylo reasoned slyly. The man whose face looked like it had been fucked horrifically in battle was slowly turning red, but he pursed his lips and angrily sat back in his chair like an upset child before looking away.

_Of course Kylo had used status and the wedding to his advantage today._

Smirking inwardly, Kylo turned to his father then who nodded and rose from his chair, everybody else following his lead while Han extended his hand towards the outside world. “We’ll announce by the docks where the whole village can gather. I have everything ready,” Han informed, tapping the sword on his hip that would be given to Kylo along with the grey fur around his shoulders and iron chain that showed off chief status. 

Kylo could hear Snoke grumbling under his breath as they left the house and started for the docks, a few villagers already catching sight that something was going to happen as they walked down the streets. The guards protecting them, however, began to declare the village was being called to a ceremony along the beach and by the time Kylo and his family were stood with the docks to their backs and their fronts facing the town, nearly every person who took residence in their settlement was gathered around and murmuring. 

Han stepped forward when the crowd began to grow quiet, obviously anticipating whatever was about to happen. “Thank you for joining us today. I’m sure you’re all eager to know what’s going on since we’ve disrupted your day… but it is with great pride that I get to inform you that my son, Kylo Ren, will be taking over as chief from this day on.” Immediately the mass of people began to babble excitedly and draw closer to get a better look of the ceremony that was about to occur.

“I, chief Han Solo, pass this sword to my son, Kylo Ren, with the trust that he will raise it in times of war, lower it in times of peace, and lead with it in times of need,” Han recited the old verse, handing the heavy thing to Kylo who did all of the actions- raising it high in the air, lowering it to the ground, then evening it out in front of him. “I pass the fur of the first wolf to him so he may inherit its intelligence, strength, and loyalty.” 

The heavy fur was shrugged off Han’s shoulders after disconnecting the ends from the silver chain that held it together, and Leia was the one to drape it around her son’s wide frame, though she had to reach up on her tippy toes a bit to actually reach him. “And I pass this chain to him in the hopes he will be tough, un-breaking, and solid as he leads,” Han finally declared, reaching out to connect the ends of the chain to the fur resting over his chest so the hide would stay in place without him holding it. 

“By the blessing of the Gods and myself, I declare Kylo Ren the new chief and protector of the land.” A loud cheer sounded from the crowd at Han’s announcement and Kylo felt like he nearly went deaf at just how loud the people were, but he stabbed the sword into the earth anyway and tilted his head up in honor, a sudden wave of responsibility calming him and exciting him all the same.

*****

Rey sat at the kitchen table with her father and flipped through the book in front of her, his top best guards chatting with Rey’s women around her at the usual dinner their close circle spent together. She had started to take a liking for her father’s war books, loving the illustrations that went along with brutal descriptions of deaths her father had brought to rivals. There was one she had really liked so far, something about nailing a man’s feet to heavy stones and throwing him into the ocean where he would drown.

But she didn’t have the time to do that to Snoke. 

No, she needed something that would make a statement to fear her should anyone try to hurt her, Kylo, or their babies. So she spent the majority of her free time reading little excerpts about different painful deaths that would surely give her a nickname like Sigrid the Proud or Sweyn the Strong when it came to murdering her rival. He deserved no mercy since, after all, he was the one who had killed her mother in cold blood. No, she would not spare him for all the riches in the world.

So when she flipped to a page titled Blodørn, or Blood Eagle, Rey was instantly captivated by the giant illustration on the right hand side of the blood. She nearly threw up at the sight of it, but her heart lurched with understanding that this would be how she murdered her enemy. “Father?” Rey asked suddenly, stopping whatever conversation was being had around her. She still wasn’t very good at reading the language, often seeking help from her father, so when she held up the page and caused groans from the entire table, Sweyn just laughed.

“I see you’ve found the Blood Eagle. I was wondering when you’d get to it,” he chuckled, cocking his head to the side to observe the page. “What is it?” Rey questioned innocently, turning the book back to her so she could rake her eyes over the image of a man facedown and restrained, his ribs pulled out of his body with his lungs resting on top of the brutalized bones. 

“Well, an eagle was carved is carved into the back and then the ribs are severed from the spine with an axe. The ribs and the skin around them are pulled outward to represent the wings of the eagle and then salt is rubbed into the wound. The victim is still alive throughout all of this, by the way. Then the lungs are pulled out of the body and stretched across the ribs and as the victim dies, the lungs flutter in the wind to resemble a bird’s wings,” her father explained fondly, as if that was a personal favorite of his. Rey just nodded, a smirk growing over her face as she ran her fingertips down the illustration.

“This…” she whispered, “ _this_ is how I’ll end Snoke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all enjoyed and as always, be kind in the comments if you can :)


	15. We're Going to War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! BEFORE YOU READ THIS CHAPTER I URGE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY SOUL TO LISTEN TO REY'S [WAR CRY!](https://youtu.be/gY4Yvbm6Tw4) THIS SHIT IS SOOOO GOOD AND REALLY SETS THE MOOD FOR THIS CHAPTER! PLEASE, IF I NEVER ASK FOR ANYTHING ELSE, LISTEN TO IT!
> 
> TW// minor character deaths.
> 
> translation for Rey's war cry in end notes.
> 
> ALSO... just realized I updated this on Tuesday instead of Sunday alnvljansjnlkadvkajb

Kylo sat at the table in dead silence. Three pairs of eyes stared back at him, but he refused to look up. It was Finn who finally spoke, shifting forward in his chair before murmuring, “What’s this all about, Kylo?” The others seemed to squirm a little in their seats as well until the older Viking finally met their eyes and stated evenly, “We’re going to war.” Poe let out a long breath at the information and sunk down into his chair as Hux screwed up his face in confusion.

“What do you _mean_ we’re going to war? Has Snoke done something again?” The redhead asked in a clipped tone. It had already been two months since the man had called his warriors to their shores, a whopping three hundred unexpected men, but Rey was expected any day now and Kylo could no longer hide the secret of what side they were on. “No, he has not done anything aside from bringing his army to us,” Kylo admitted.

Finn frowned a little and questioned curiously, “So why are we going to war then?” There wasn’t time to brief them over everything like he’d done with his parents, so he fessed up firmly, “Rey is alive and will be back any day now with an army that will massacre Snoke and his men.” The silence was deafening as Kylo warily looked at the men sat at his kitchen table. Their emotions ranged anywhere from confused to enraged.

“You mean to tell me you _spared_ the whore? That’s it, I’m telling your parents,” Hux spit out, standing from his chair to leave only for Kylo to grab his arm and throw him harshly back into the seat. “You forget who’s chief now, Hux. My parents are aware of the situation and already pledged our forces to me before I became chief.” 

The red headed Viking looked like he was about to shit himself.

“Where exactly is she getting an army, Kylo? She’s a bed maid…” Poe pointed out solemnly, seeming to be the only person to take the news well. Kylo shook his head and yet again offered a brief explanation. “Snoke saw her mother’s face in her when he arrived. She’s the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and Sigrid the Proud. She’s their missing child. Rey went to find her father and seek his help. The journey was set to last five months at the longest, and since it has been that long… we will be expecting her army any day now.”

The house creaked around them from a strong wind outside.

No snow had fallen for a few weeks, much to Kylo’s relief at the thought of Rey traveling back with her warriors. “So what’s the plan then?” Finn jumped in, snapping into action as Hux crossed his arms and cursed under his breath. “The plan is to tell all of our men that there is an army coming to attack Snoke for past offenses and we are to join their side when the battle ensues,” Kylo explained sternly.

Hux shook his head and stood again from the chair. “Word is going to get out and then Snoke is going to come for all of our heads. We have, what? Two hundred? Two hundred and fifty men at best? And if we bring in shield maidens we’re still only outnumbering them by a good hundred. This is foolish, Ren, even for you.” Kylo just glared at him, but flicked his eyes to his other friends who seemed to grin a little humorously as Hux’s outburst. 

“Armitage… who are you loyal to?” Kylo asked after a pause, leaning back in his chair to observe the smaller Viking that paced around his kitchen. The younger man shot him a warning glare, knowing exactly where this was leading. But with a sigh, Hux sagged his shoulders and growled out, “You… the chief.” Kylo nodded slowly, then pointed to the chair without another word.

Hux sulked over and sat back down before Kylo leaned forward and began to discuss specifics. They were to go door to door and explain exactly what Kylo had told them. Everyone who was able was required to take up arms and fight against Snoke and his men or else there would be hell to pay by Kylo’s hand. The three friends, finally agreeing to the plan, left quietly into the chilling air and trekked down the slope towards the village where they would begin to inform people of the war coming their way. 

Deciding to get some fresh air and check up on the animals in the small barn he’d built behind his house, Kylo closed the front door behind him and pulled the grey fur a little tighter to his shoulders before heading over to the barn that housed Rey’s chickens and his goats. 

He couldn’t help himself, though, when he let his eyes drift to the mountains Rey would still need to maneuver her men and women around. There had been no snow for a while, that much was true, but he was still nervous at her arrival. Spring was coming, he could see it in the way the sun started to warm the ground and help flowers grow, though his brain still tortured him with the thought of her getting stuck in a snowstorm.

Kylo was unsure how much longer it would be until she arrived- a day, a week, hopefully not another month. He longed to see her and her beautiful face smiling upon him. He wanted to see how much her belly had grown, how long her hair had become, how much she had strengthened. Kylo just wanted to see his Rey, but all he could do was wait and hope that she would be here soon.

*****

They’d been on the move for nearly a month.

Rey had been able to walk for the first week or so, but her stomach had made a dramatic transition from small bulge to round and full between three and five months. Her back was starting to get that distinctive arch from the weight piling up in front of her and she could no longer fit into dresses meant for her slim body. She was still able to wear dresses, thankfully, as that was what she preferred, but their synch had come just below her breasts now instead of her entire waist. 

When she put her small palms on her belly now, it was a sizable swell that no longer allowed for her hands to meet in the middle if she rested the heels of her hand on her sides. To put it bluntly, Rey was very obviously pregnant with twins. Movement had started around month four, but the kicks that came to her stomach were strong and only made her smile with pride at the fact her babies were already mighty like their father. 

For the past two weeks, she’d been on horseback along with her women, a few other warriors that held leadership positions, and her father. The weather had been good to them with cold winds but warm sun and Rey secretly thanked Odin for the kindness he was bestowing upon them. She had started to recognize the scenery around two days ago when they came out of the woods and began to approach the looming mountains that separated them from the village on the other side. And as they began to ascend over the terrifying terrain with all of its sharp edges and treacherous rocks, Rey kept herself brave with the thought that Kylo was on the other side.

The war cry she’d decided on before they left was sung throughout the day along with other songs that filled her heart with pride. These were her people, these were her songs, and this was her war. Rey had practiced the blood eagle on cadavers a few times before she left, perfecting it before they started the journey as well, and she grasped the hilt of her sword tightly at the thought of using her newfound skill on the man who had killed her mother.

For now, she was focused on getting through the mountains with everyone in one piece, though. 

They’d reached a flat basin on the first day of their ascension and promptly decided to settle down, somehow finding space along the slanted cliff for all seven hundred people in their company. Rey had been impressed by the amount of men and women her father was able to round up and call to their cause, but it was her who ultimately spoke to every single person who came to express the severity of the situation.

Most people came simply because they wanted to meet the living legend- the baby that had disappeared- but they bowed to her almost immediately and gave her their loyalty upon meeting her in person. Sweyn had told her that when he passed away, everything would be given to her, including the title of Queen, but Rey quickly shut that down with the statement she had all she needed right now and he wasn’t dying ever. He’d laughed at her childlike answer, but regarded her fondly all the same.

When they sat that first night between the base and peak of the mountain, Sweyn told her stories of her mother that made Rey smile and tear up a little bit- one story in particular making her grin more than the others. “Oh, your mother… your mother was a spitfire. Had all of that Swedish blood in her. I remember the first time she came to me, it was like she was declaring war. Her army was made entirely of women and they all wore the buns that you wear sometimes. Granted, hers were a bit better, but…” 

Rey shoved him a little with a laugh as he shook his head and continued. “She showed up on my doorstep and threatened to burn the place down if she didn’t get an audience with me. Gods, she scared the life out of me. But she was so strong. Came through the gates with with a red band painted across her eyes and a line painted from her bottom lip to her chin- war paint, funnily enough. We met in the middle of the village, a hundred women behind her with the same paint, shields, and weapons, and then I showed up looking stupid with no one behind me.

“We were young then, in our early thirties, and I thought she was going to kill me right there in the street. You’ll never imagine my surprise when she suddenly pointed her sword at my throat and said in the worst Danish possible, ‘I marry you,’ without any other context.” Rey laughed openly at that, letting her entertain herself with the mental image of her doing that to Kylo. 

“Before I knew it, we were getting married and having a kid…” he trailed off then, his eyes glazing over a little as the memories seemed to flash behind his eyes. “Am I anything like her? Besides my face?” Rey whispered, turning away from the fire that burned in front of them to gaze up at her father. His adoration spoke volumes when he patted her shoulder and told her truthfully, “More than you know.” 

*****

The second day of ascension was brutal. It was too hard to navigate on top of the horse, so Rey had to get off of it in order to navigate it through the unpredictable passageways the men and women in front of her deemed safe. The wind was a little more bearable today due to the fact that the mountain was protecting them from its path, but the temperature was still chilling to the bone.

Rey’s feet ached from having to maneuver carefully with a heavy stomach that barely allowed her to do such a thing and she mentally cursed a million times at the thought she was only going to get bigger. _Fuck, she still had four months left with her pregnancy._ Grumbling at the thought, Rey pressed herself against the grey rocks and carefully guided her spooked horse along the slim passageway that would get them to the peak.

The gut wrenching scream that pierced the air along with shouts of horror and falling rock within the next second disturbed Rey from what she was doing almost as fast as the thought of _four months left_ came to her mind. Whipping around to look at what had happened, Rey’s own face morphed into something filled with terror as she watched the ground right behind her now tumble down the side of the earth along with two women.

_Rose and Tallie._

“ _No!_ ” she shrieked, trying to move around the horse that was now extremely jumpy with no avail. The line of people that had been following after the girls backed up with startling cries and tears, watching as the giant rocks and two bodies collided endlessly with the side of the mountain until they could no longer be seen. Rey’s face felt frozen in fear as her mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out while hot tears poured down her cheeks. 

Sweyn was by her side within the next instant, looking around her horse at what had happened. When Rey caught the alarmed eyes of Phasma and Kaydel pressed against the rocky wall in the next second, a giant wave of pain seemed to pass through all of them with the realization they’d just lost two of their best friends. Just like that, the earth had given away and plucked two of the people she cared for most directly from her grasp. 

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down, but Rey sobbed and wailed without care as they continued up the mountain, albeit slower this time. And when they reached the peak, finding another flat area to camp on, Rey sat around the fire clutching her best friends who held her back just as tightly. Everyone gave them space, knowing just how close they all were with each other. In the absence of their bodies, and honoring the religion her friends still followed, they made crosses out of rocks on the top of the mountain and prayed.

It had been a long time since Rey had gotten on her knees and done the Christian gesture of the cross across her body, but she bowed her head all the same and prayed. For a while, she prayed for the safety of their souls in heaven before switching over to hoping they were watching from the gold world of Valhalla. It didn’t really seem to matter who she prayed to, though. 

Her friends were dead and she would never see them again.

That night it was hard to sleep. 

Rey’s heart ached with loss and her babies kicked her relentlessly from inside of her. She slept huddled up with her friends whose faces were red and blotchy, but she guessed she probably looked no better. At some point during the night, Rey gave up on trying to catch sleep and carefully removed herself from the pile they made before she walked to the edge of their platform to peer down at the land that rested on the other side.

They would descend tomorrow, far enough out of sight of the village their presence wouldn’t be made known until all of them were free of the horrific landscape and they could begin their attack with an ambush style. If she squinted hard enough, she could just make out the small village so far away that held the love of her life. Just there, on the shore, Kylo was waiting for her. 

With a sniveling breath, Rey rubbed her hands over her abused belly and hummed the song she used to sing for Kylo- the Swedish one Maz had taught her since she was little. “I know that song,” a voice commented from behind her. Rey jumped a little, but looked sadly over her shoulder to see her father standing just a few feet away. She couldn’t help the way her bottom lip trembled as he looked at her with all the understanding of the world.

Without any hesitation, Sweyn walked over and pulled her into as tight of an embrace as he could manage to calm his daughter while she cried softly into his chest. “They were my best friends. I… I brought them on this journey. They were only doing this for me. They wanted to live happy lives after this and now… now they’ll never be able to,” Rey whimpered pitifully. Sweyn just rubbed her back soothingly and nodded while she talked through soft sniffles. “I should never have asked them to come with me. I should’ve just demanded Kylo send them off in a boat like he did with Jyn…”

Her father didn’t question who Jyn was and Rey was thankful for that. She just wanted to be comforted right now. “Freya… my daughter… you’re wise enough to know that they didn’t do this just for you. You said yourself that they wanted to live happily after this and the only way they could guarantee that was if no one came looking for them. They were invested into this as much as you were. You just happened to be their good friend who they cared for just as much as you cared for them. Mourn them. No one will stop you and you deserve that right.”

She nodded at his words and stared at the village they had been taken to nearly seven months ago. It felt strange to know that much time had already passed, but Kylo and her had really only had around two months to each other before everything went to hell and back. Slumping against her father, Rey pulled away from his embrace and weakly pointed to the settlement just barely in seeing range. “That’s it… down there. That’s my home,” she told him softly, wiping her face.

Sweyn considered it for a moment, then offered a small smile before pulling her fondly against him. “It looks cozy. I must admit… I’m very anxious to meet the man who’s captured my daughter’s heart.” Rey chuckled a little at that and shook her head as she pushed her hair behind her ears and started to slowly head back to the camp they’d made. “Trust me, I’m anxious to see him. I might kiss him to death,” she teased. Sweyn gave a hearty laugh and patted her on the shoulder before saying goodnight and returning to his own small shelter set up.

Gods… she really might kiss Kylo to death.

*****

Descending was numb. 

She still had to walk and guide her horse behind her, but her body was buzzing with pain from the loss of her friends. Phasma and Kaydel walked in front of her now, something she had insisted upon because part of her felt it was her fault the ground had given out behind her. Her heart lurched a few times when she realized that could’ve been her, especially with the horse, but then she figured it really _was_ her fault _because_ of the horse. 

It didn’t matter.

There was a war about to be had and Rey had to be strong. She’d be the one leading them into the battle and they were going to depend on her to bring them a victory. Rey wasn’t sure how much had changed since she was gone. For all she knew, Snoke could be gone and there wouldn’t have been a reason for any of them to come. Or… his entire army could’ve come over and Rey had no idea just how big that might be. 

So she made a deal with herself to make everything feel better. If she got her people there, her army, and fought in this war and won this war… she would allow herself all the time in the world to mourn her friends afterward. But for right now, she had to focus on being a leader to hundreds of people willing to die for her cause. Something struck deep within her at that thought. People were about to die for her because she wanted to marry someone who just so happened to be engaged to the daughter of the man who killed her mother.

Rey had given up thinking their relationship was anything but ordinary. No, it seemed like fate that she and Kylo ended up together. 

*****

The second day of decent was easier. They were slowly getting closer to the ground where they would camp for the night, then prepare for battle the next morning. The group Rey walked with talked about how they would wear their hair, what battle paint they would create, what armor they’d tug on. Rey even allowed herself to talk to her friends about what they might do, and for a while, it got their minds of the image of the girls that should be walking with them too. Phasma was opting for some blue striped paint and so was Kaydel, but Rey was already set on recreating the war paint her mother had put on to go and request Sweyn’s hand in marriage.

She also was trying to form a speech in her head that would start the battle, as was customary, but nothing was really coming to mind every time she tried to think of something.

“What do you think you’ll do when you see Kylo?” Phasma mused, trying to keep the positive energy going because it hurt too much to walk in silence with death heavy in their hearts. “Well, I’ll probably smile from the top of the hill, then fight in a battle, then kiss him until we can’t breathe,” Rey laughed, looking over the back of her horse to Phasma who walked on the other side. Kaydel giggled a little and admitted softly, “I will say… he _is_ very handsome.” 

Rey nodded with a blush, the face of her lover materializing in the back of her mind and how strong he was. She could see his chocolate colored eyes, dark black locks, trimmed facial hair, full lips, scattered moles, and low eyebrows as clear as day if she concentrated long enough. And oh, how she missed feeling him pressed up against her when they slept.

She thought, for a moment, that might be what she missed the most. Rey missed falling asleep next to her strong Viking with his arms around her waist, though that might be a bit of a problem now, and his face pressed into her neck. She missed the way their legs would tangle together and how warm the bed would be whenever they woke up. Sighing at the thought she would soon be able to have that again, Rey pushed on down the mountain and gossiped about the types of men Phasma and Kaydel were into.

By the time the sun was starting to fall, the front part of the line had reached the bottom and started to set up camps- still out of sight of the village below. It had been instructed they all be as quiet as possible for the night and layer up instead of making fires. So Rey made a small shelter for her and her remaining friends, then fell asleep knowing tomorrow was it.

Tomorrow, they declared war.

*****

The next morning was a blur of paint, weapons, and armor. 

Rey was currently getting a thick band of red paint brushed onto her face over her eyebrows but stopping at the top of her cheek bones. A single line of red paint streaked down the middle of her bottom lip. Her dress was blood red to match, but a leather breastplate stopping right above her stomach covered the top half of the beautiful thing. She also wore a leather neck guard and wristbands that clearly told anyone this was a woman going to war and meant business.

Her brown hair was braided to all hell- an intricate and complex task that took her nearly two hours before it was completed and wound into a large bun at the top of her head. Her bow was strapped around her torso, her sword was held in her hand due to the fact she couldn’t get a belt around herself, and her throwing axe was tucked between the bindings on the side of her breast plate.

When Phasma finally pulled the brush away and gave a look over of Rey, even the older and taller woman gulped in fear. Rey grinned a little and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder with the promise, “We’ll win today. For Rose and Tallie.” Phasma nodded and turned to Kaydel to paint on the younger woman’s own design while Rey removed herself from the makeshift shelter to join the rest of the world outside. 

For it being the day of bloodshed, the camp was oddly calm.

Everyone went about their business getting ready for battle, but it seemed like everyone was already finished up and ready to start this blasted thing. People nodded and bowed a little to her when she walked by- a fierce looking creature amidst a sea of brown, black, grey, and navy blue clothing. 

Yes, she was definitely meant to be a leader. 

Rey found her father preparing some of the horses, one of them being hers, and raised his eyebrows when he caught sight of his daughter. “My Freya… you look ready to do damage,” he remarked with a grin. She just gave him a smirk and stabbed her sword into the ground before looking at the rolling hills they’d have to cross to finally come into view of the village.

They were coming in the direction from where the waterfall was, so Rey knew the first thing she’d ever see would be her and Kylo’s home. “Are you ready for today?” Sweyn asked with a cocked eyebrow as he fixed up one of the saddles. She nodded with a deep breath. “Yes. I feel like I was born ready,” she admitted softly. Her father just smiled, then offered up his interlocked hands as a gesture to help her onto her horse.

Rey took him up on the offer quickly, grabbing onto the reins of the horse and swinging herself over the beast’s back until she was comfortable in the saddle. If she could help it, she’d stay on the animal for as long as possible just to spare her aching feet.

By the time everyone was ready, the sun had just barely made its way into the sky. 

The wind was cold, but Rey reminded herself that this was a battle and not something luxurious, so she opted out of grabbing a fur to wrap around her shoulders. When all of her men and women had effectively lined up into one massive group of people ready to fight, she finally stepped out of the group and lifted her sword into the air to get their attention.

“My brothers! My sisters! Today, we shall kill the man who murdered my mother and threatened my life! And if we should die today on this battlefield… my only hope is to dine with you again within the gates of Valhalla!” she cried determinedly, a large roar from her army deafening her as she paced her horse back and forth with her sword still extended. “Then my men and women… _Hakkerskaldyr!_ ” 

With that, Rey turned the horse and started to march forward as the sounds of swords clanging against wooden shields rhythmically filled the air and the war cry of her army swelled her heart with pure admiration and honor.

_“_ _Y! Ylir men!_

_Ae! Aero Their!_

_Era Mela os!_

_Min Warb Naseu!_

_Wilr Made Thaim!_

_I Bormotha Hauni!_

_I Bormotha Hauni!_

_Got Nafiskr Orf!_

_Auim Suimade!_

_Foki Afa Galande!_

_Foki Afa Galande!_

_Hu! War!_

_Hu war Opkam Har a Hit Lot!”_

With each clang of their weapons against their shields, Rey trotted on the horse as her army followed dutifully behind her. On and on, they continued with the war cry until Rey could only feel a great sense of achievement coursing through her veins. 

This was it.

Rey had been raided, she’d been taken to a strange land, she’d been sold to a Viking two times her size, she’d staged an escape that nearly killed her, she’d fallen in love with the same man who owned her, she’d found out who her parents truly were, she’d become pregnant, she’d traveled across the country to find her father, she’d lost two of her best friends, and now she was marching back to the place she so readily called home. 

If that didn’t make her purse her lips in resoluteness and tilt her chin up for the pure reason she was about to lead an army of seven hundred into a place that had called her a bed maid, she didn’t know what did. 

Their war cry carried through the rolling hills and when Rey passed the waterfall that meant so much to her because it carried so much of Kylo, she only just let her bottom lip quiver as relief flooded her.

She was home, and she was finally taking what was hers.

Their home was the first thing she spotted on top of the sharp slope to the far left, at the very peak of the valley they were marching through, and she gave a curt nod to it as if she was saying _nice to see you again_. Kylo had added a barn to the back of it for the animals like they had planned to do together, but she would inspect it later. The village had heard the cry of war long before they crossed waterfall, but Rey was clueless to the way Snoke and Kylo’s armies began to assemble quickly in front of the village on the flat plain below. 

Slowly but surely, Rey and her people began to ascend the hill that would give them the advantage of looking down on the settlement below them. And when they finally reached its peak, Rey only let her heart skip a bit for a moment when she found an army about the size of her own waiting at the very edge of the giant field stretching out before them. Her eyes found Kylo almost immediately at the front of the crowd dressed in all black armor, clutching a sword and shield.

The beat her heart had skipped before suddenly took off into painful palpitations at the sight of him, and Rey didn’t miss the way he shifted a little in his stance at the sight of her. But she caught sight of Snoke’s enraged expression (the man stood beside Kylo, yet had no armor or weapons) when he realized it was _her_ at the top of the hill and not some random leader wanting war. 

Rey thrust her sword into the earth by her side and turned her horse so her body was shown off from a profile, Kylo’s eyes visibly going wide even from so far away at the sight of her giant belly. 

At that point, Snoke was turning to Kylo had screaming loudly at her lover who looked like he could positively kill the man right now. But no, Rey could see even he was saving his death for her. Grinning a little, Rey listened as the war cry began to come to a close while the first giant row of her army came up behind her. The filled rows behind the first one did not go unnoticed due to the fact Snoke and Kylo’s warriors began to shuffle nervously in astonishment.

“Got Nafiskr Orf! Auim Suimade!” her warriors chanted angrily around her, now pouring their entire soul into it as Rey pulled the bow off of her back and reached down to pluck an arrow from the attached arrow canister clipped to the saddle on her horse. “Foki Afa Galande! Foki Afa Galande!” Rey placed the arrow gracefully against the string and drew back with a mastered precision until the string rested against her cheek, one eye closed to give her a sharper aim. “Hu! War! Hu war Opkam Har a Hit Lot!”

At the last line, Rey let the arrow loose and sank the small spear into the earth just an inch away from where Snoke’s foot rested. Their army took a startled step backwards at the accuracy of her shot, Snoke now obviously baffled as he stared at her in a mix of rage and horror. 

Kylo was staring at her with pride, adoration, and lust. 

_That man could get hard over anything I do_ , Rey thought with a small grin. The war cry stopped abruptly after the shot and Rey pulled the arrow back around her body before snatching the sword up from the earth and lifting it to point directly at Snoke who was now backing up in the crowd like the fucking coward he was. Plotting to escape just like he’d done after murdering her mother.

Her voice erupted from her with a fury and strength Rey didn’t even know she possessed as she bellowed, “ _Snoke!_ ” The man with the twisted face froze, half buried in the crowd of warriors that were about to be killed for him. “Listen to my words and fear me!” Rey declared to the entire army now visibly pissing their pants at the sight of her and her army eager to attack.

“I am Freya Ragna Forkbeard, rightful heir to King Sweyn Forkbeard and Queen Sigrid the Proud! For the murder of my mother, the threat upon my life, and the risk you bring to the father of my children, I sentence you to slaughter by my sword! May your blood run thick on my skin and your screams fall deaf in my ears! Odin cannot save you now.”

Rey’s speech was in stone cold fluent Danish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation:
> 
> Hey! Every men!  
> Hear our voices!  
> Listen to us now!  
> In thy hands is death!  
> Thy people we shall slaughter!  
> And any mercy is given!  
> Fearless we are!  
> Death makes us laugh!  
> War is what we want!  
> Thou! Dies!  
> In this battle thou shall die!


	16. I Missed You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// This chapter is extremely violent, bloody, and gory. If you don't want to read Snoke's death (the blood eagle) stop reading at the line "A little confused exactly as to what Rey was doing..." and pick up again at "The rain pattered quietly around them..."
> 
> TW// minor character deaths
> 
> ALSO thank you so much for over 13k reads!! Absolutely insane... thank you to everyone who's given this story a thought and commented such kind things :) it's almost over, and I'm sad about it, but then I'll just get to write something new!

There was a time, months ago, when Kylo had told her about his first battle. He told her that he remembered charging forward and the only sound in his ears being that of his own heartbeat and his footsteps in the grass. He’d told her it was silence, except for those things, and then… 

_Sound._

Rey dragged her sword through the first man she collided her horse against, his hot blood splattering onto her already red dress with a wail of pain, but she was moving onto the next one as the rest of her army finally crashed against Snoke’s men and women. Kylo’s warriors had joined on their side, marked by a distinctive red sash around their arm to show they were allies and hopefully not someone that would be cut down by her own force.

A brutal scream tore through Rey’s throat as she pierced the long metal of her weapon through the soft flesh of a man twice her size, her eyes blazing with glory as the red liquid coursing through his veins now gushed out onto her skin and sprayed her arm with its nearly black looking color. It didn’t take long until her own horse was slashed through, but Rey was able to get down in time before the beast fell on its side and crushed her. 

With a growl, Rey was suddenly swinging her sword with a vengeance at anyone who came close to her. The sound of shields banging onto shields, cries of agony, shouts of victory, and clangs of swords filled her ears as her vision slowly started to turn red with rage. Snoke had ran from the battle like the coward he was, and Rey was battling waves of warriors coming towards her, her sword piercing into heavy bodies and retreating with gushes of blood and shouts of death. 

It dawned on her at some point that she wasn’t seeing red due to anger, she was quite literally seeing red due to the amount of blood dripping down her face. A few nicks got in here and there on her arms and legs, but nothing that would weaken her or take her down, and when her arm finally grew tired of swinging the giant sword, Rey stabbed it into the ground and drew her bow.

The arrows were still trapped under the horse, but she managed to pull out the case and sling it over her shoulder without earning herself any blows. From there, it was like a game to Rey. A rapid sequence occurred over the course of five minutes; grab an arrow, draw back the string, fire at someone not wearing red or from her army. One by one, she picked off men and women racing towards her with their swords and axes ready, but she fired like a maniac- constantly turning this way and that way until all fifty arrows were drained from the carrier.

Tossing the bow to the side, Rey grabbed her sword back out of the ground and plucked her throwing axe from where it still rested on the side of her breast plate. When a giant man at least two times bigger than _Kylo_ with bright orange hair and a giant beard suddenly stepped into her path, Rey gritted her teeth and growled out, “Bring it on,” before throwing the axe as hard as she could at the man. 

He barely got one step forward before the weapon lodged itself dead center in his skull with a sickening crunch, Rey rushing forward to yank it out with a wet squelch that sent blood flying over her face in a thick, hot wave. If she wasn’t dripping with the bodily fluid before, she was soaked now as it fell off her chin in steady rivers. When she spun around to find her next victim, her eyes locked onto that of her lover who had just kicked a wounded man to the ground with wild eyes. 

Both of them seemed to pause for a moment, as if they were really seeing each other, but in the next second they were embraced tightly in each other’s arms. Well, as tight as they could manage. “My Rey… oh, my Rey… I missed you. If you hadn’t come this month… I… I can’t even stand the thought of you not here. I care too much for you. You’re are too big a part of me to lose,” he whispered in a rush into her ear. It felt so out of place to be murmuring such sweet things to her when a war raged around them, but she let them have this one moment should it be the last one they ever have.

“My Kylo… how I missed you. You are too big a part of _me_ for me to die without seeing you one last time,” she hummed back, closing her eyes a little as she savored the feel of his large hands heavy around her waist. And oh, he smelled the same. He smiled like the forests, the sea, and the fire that resided in their home. _Home…_ Kylo smelled like home. “If we survive this, promise me we’ll never part again. That we’ll raise our children together, make a home together, lead together, and live happily together,” Rey pressed, tears already starting to form on the end of her blood coated lashes.

“I promise. Gods, I _promise_ , Rey,” Kylo growled sincerely, lifting a hand to clutch the intricately braided hair woven into a single bun at the top of her head. “Then how about we finish this, then we can spend every day for the rest of our lives loving each other?” she asked with a small smile, finally pulling away to grip his neck and press her bloody forehead against his, hazel irises locking with charcoal colored ones yet again. “If you’ve got me, I’ve got you,” he stated cockily with a toothy smirk and raised an eyebrow, tossing his axe up into the air before catching it in his palm.

“I’ve got you,” Rey winked, readying her sword with both hands before they turned back to back, taking defensive stances as another wave of Snoke’s men descended upon them. It was a brutal few minutes as they sliced, punctured, and segmented men and women that came forward- each with the thought they would be the ones to take down Freya Forkbeard and chief Kylo Ren. And while one man did seem to get a nice cut on Rey’s arm, she just retaliated by severing the man with the force of her sword alone.

Blood felt as cleansing as water.

By the time they’d taken down the circle of people around them, Rey’s dress was heavy with the dark liquid and her skin was no longer distinguishable under the thick coating covering her face, neck, and hands. Even Kylo had blinked at her a little bit when they were finally able to separate from being back to back so they could branch out into Snoke’s group that was slowly dwindling. 

But Rey was on a mission. She needed to find Snoke and she needed to torture the murderous deserter- the very man that had cut down her mother who fought to make sure Rey had gotten away safely. The thought alone sent a chill down her spine and twisted her stomach up into a disgusted knot. Remembering her stomach, Rey reached her free hand down to caress the bump protectively, making sure no one had hurt her babies. But two swift kicks came to palm of her hand, and even though she was slightly winded for a moment, Rey smiled at the little action.

She turned to Kylo in the next instant, both of them getting a breather from battle for another moment before she stalked over, grabbed his hand, and placed his palm against her swollen belly. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, another succession of kicks came to the new hand and his face morphed into that of shock and disbelief. “They’re very active and very strong, just like their father.” Rey winked, then pulled away in the next second to tear through the crowd in the direction of where Snoke had gone.

Kylo remained frozen in place, slack jawed and stunned. 

Snoke’s army began to grow fewer and fewer in numbers. Rey’s arms were getting tired and her breathing was laborious as she worked her way through the waves of men and women trying to take her down. At some point, she’d gotten another gash on her side and had briefly panicked at the thought of her stomach, but the sword had thankfully only gotten her ribs instead of the rounded body part. When Rey finally broke through a large heap, the sounds of war still echoed behind her and her heart was thumping in her ears.

Bracing herself against the side of a house, tucked away from the view of the battle field, Rey took a few deep, steadying breaths and hauled her sword back up from the ground with a grunt and straining muscles. The grip was slick with blood, but she just grabbed the end of her dress and wiped it off along with her palm before trudging in the direction of where she’d seen Snoke go. 

A stray woman charged towards her when Rey rounded a corner to continue tracking large footprints through the muddy roads, a loud rumble of thunder breaking through the air when the black haired woman crashed her sword down on Rey who let out a sharp cry of frustration. She must be getting close to the murderous snake if there was someone this deep into the village on the opposing side. 

Swiping her sword away, Rey tried to jab it towards the woman’s chest, but she dodged it expertly and attempted to wound Rey’s thigh- just barely missing. An angry growl ripped through Rey’s throat as she heaved the sword up and brought it down with all of her might onto her enemy’s weapon, the throwing axe in her other hand suddenly sinking into the rival’s stomach with a fowl sound and a gush of blood.

The woman all but dropped the sword as she stumbled back, looking down to stare at the small axe in her gut. Seething, Rey clenched her jaw and reached forward to snatch the axe back into her hand and out of the soft flesh mortally wounded before her. And without another thought, Rey pierced her sword through the lesion already created. 

She only left the blade in until the dark haired foe fell to her knees, and then Rey was yanking it back out with another fresh coating of blood flinging onto her dress. _Gods, she was going to need a bath after this._ Not even checking to make sure the woman was dead, because who the hell could get up from that, Rey just wiped her sword off on her covered thigh and turned back in the direction she was heading in. 

“- don’t care just get me the fuck out of here!” Snoke’s voice ripped through the silence as Rey carefully crept through the empty houses and shops with her store raised. Her face settled into something furious at the man’s cowardly request, but pushed forward quietly until she peeked her head around the corner of a house to catch the scene of Snoke ordering two men as they dragged a small ship towards the shore.

Rey stabbed her sword into the ground and bounced the axe in her palm a few times as another boom of thunder filled the air. Only seconds later, a few drops of ice cold water hit the top of her head until it morphed into a torrential downpour. The blood coating her hands, face, and dress started to wash away with the rain, but Rey just narrowed her eyes at the now hazy looking scenery. 

She wasn’t going to be able to aim well with the amount of rain coming down, but she had to try. 

“Thor… guide mit blad, og jeg vil bede om regn hver dag,” _Thor… guide my blade and I will ask for rain every day_ , she begged the sky, tilting her head back to let the rain wash over her face.

As if on cue, a sharp bolt of lightning cut through the dark clouds and was followed by a deafening crack of thunder. With a deep breath, she narrowed her eyes on one of the men hauling the ship and threw the axe as hard as she possibly could with the intention to hit him square in the head. And with wide eyes and halted breath, Rey watched as her weapon hit true through the grey weather and roaring rain, the man closest to her dragging the ship jerking to the side as her axe buried deep into the side of his skull and toppled him over. 

There was a shout of alarm and Snoke whipped around just in time to see Rey hold up her blade in a way meant rather for a javelin instead of a fucking sword, then launch it with a shrill sound directly into the upper body of the other man too late to draw his own weapon. Staggering backwards, the back of Snoke’s knees hit the boat and he fell into it, scrambling to get back up as Rey drew her sword back out of the newly dead man’s chest while she advanced.

Heaving, strong, coated in a mix of blood and rain, and looking down upon him with all the hatred she could muster, Rey lifted the tip of her sword and pressed it against Snoke’s panicked throat. The man stared up at her in absolute fright, breathing sporadically as he clutched the boat underneath him and waited for her to finally end him. Instead, Rey’s bottom lip quivered and tears began to build in the back of her eyes. 

“ _How could you?_ ” she whispered through the pouring rain, never tearing her eyes away from the man who had nearly taken everything from her without even knowing. “How could you kill my mother when she was just trying to protect her baby? Trying to protect _me_?” When he didn’t speak for a moment, Rey pressed the edge of her sword deeper into his skin and nearly drew blood until he held up his hands in alarm, but narrowed his eyes.

“Your mother was a _whore_. When her first husband died and she became Queen, she had no problem residing with as many men as she pleased, but as soon as anybody tried to make a marriage proposal… Gods forbid. When she rejected me, and then Olaf, I had no problem seeing that woman murdered. You… you and Sweyn came into the picture when she declared war, and then I _really_ had no issue murdering all of you. 

“She put up a good fight. She’s the one who gave me the scars! But when I pushed my sword through her heart, watched her gasp for air and look over her shoulder in agony to see that shield maiden and her precious little bundle already down the river, nothing was more exhilarating than seeing that look in her eyes knowing she was going to die by my hand and there was nothing she could do about it.” Clenching her jaw and dipping her sword back against his Adam’s apple to shut him up, Rey shook her head.

“My mother was strong and loved me. She died protecting me and what you saw in her eyes wasn’t the realization she’d been killed by you. _No…_ what you saw in her eyes was the realization her daughter had escaped alive and unharmed, never to be touched by your disgusting hands. And here I am, twenty three years later, about to pierce my sword into your flesh the same way you did to my mother.” Lifting her chin, Rey collected salvia in her mouth, then spit the fluid onto his face before lifting the hilt of her sword to hit him as hard as she could in the head.

He was out cold in the next instant. 

*****

Kylo scanned the field with a heavy breath. 

Every muscle in his body ached with the strain of war, but it was finally over. He walked carefully through the field of dead bodies, the green grass below stained red from the amount of blood that had been spilled. He’d spotted a few of his men and women face down on the ground, gone with the rest of the traitors, but he knew they were already in Valhalla cheering in victory from above. 

The rain was heavy around them, soaking him and everyone else to the bone. He paused for a moment next to a familiar figure, a lanky Viking clad in black armor with bright orange hair. Kylo let out a low sigh at the image of Hux lying face up, his eyes already distant as a giant gash on the side of his head continued to trickle blood into the soggy dirt underneath him. Even though Hux and Kylo had never gotten along well, he still considered the man a friend.

They’d fought in endless battles together, often times feeling like the uptight Viking was the brother he wish he didn’t have, but looked to all the same. Bending over, Kylo dragged his fingertips over Hux’s eyes to close them, then lifted himself up to continue walking through the crowd. He spotted the tall blonde that resided in Rey’s group of women hunched over a small frame, her arms clutching the body as she kept her face bowed to gaze upon it.

It was the other girl, Kaydel. 

Though he only knew the woman from the cave and from helping her escape, something shattered inside of him when he knew Rey would find out eventually.

 _Rey_. 

Abruptly turning around, Kylo began to frantically scan the crowd for the red dress she’d been wearing only to see her walking stoically onto the field, the limp body of Snoke dragging behind her as she clutched the hem of his shirt and tugged effortlessly. The rain started to settle down a little bit, allowing everybody the perfect picture of Freya Forkbeard coated in blood and rain marching through the sea of bodies with Snoke in her grip trailing behind her unconscious. 

Alright, he’d admit it. His cock twitched a little in his trousers. 

“Cassian, hent rebet og Bazine, tag skoven,” _Cassian, get the rope and Bazine, get the wood_ , Rey commanded as she set her eyes on Kylo and trudged through the field. Finally a foot away, Rey dropped Snoke’s body to the ground before grabbing the front of Kylo’s shirt and tugging him down to meet her lips. A few whistles sounded around them while the rain continued to let up, but Kylo just wrapped his hands around her waist and brought her as close as possible to him so he could savor the feel of Rey against him yet again.

She tasted like blood and honey, a combination Kylo never knew he needed. When her small fingers sank into those thick, black locks of hair, he just grinned at the feeling of his braids starting to untangle like they always did when she played with the strands. Seeming to realize this, Rey giggled a little and pulled away from their tender embrace, planting her forehead against his so she could stare deep into his eyes with all the love in the world. 

Breathing in each other’s air and soaking in each other’s faces that hadn’t been gazed upon in months, Kylo’s hands slid carefully down to the rounded belly between them and was greeted almost immediately by a soft kick against where his left palm rested. A dazed smile filled his lips and Rey beamed up at him, nuzzling her face into his before reaching up to kiss him once more while his hands rubbed the fabric over her swollen stomach. 

“Vær med mig,” _Be with me_ , Rey whispered against his lips.

“Altid," _Always_ , he murmured under his breath- the last words either of them had said to each other before they’d parted ways.

The heavy sound of wood hitting the ground beside them pulled Rey out of their embrace, Bazine cocking an eyebrow at her in amusement as Cassian tossed the rope on top of the post as well with a smirk. Blushing a little, Rey patted Kylo’s shoulder and winked before leaving his grasp to grab Snoke once more and throw him onto the post they’d created.

It looked like a wooden pony, in a way, with two V-like legs at either end of a larger plank of wood that would allow Snoke’s wrists and ankles to be bound down while Rey cut him open. “Now for the fun part…” she murmured devilishly, heaving the man onto the post as everyone began to gather around in curiosity. “I take it you’re the man who wooed my daughter, then,” a new voice piped up from behind Kylo. The dark haired Viking turned to see who spoke only to stagger back a little with wide eyes while Rey worked with her best warriors on Snoke.

“King Forkbeard, it’s an honor to-” but Kylo was cut off by a warm smile and a raised hand. “Please, my daughter is in love with you and that’s all a father can ask for, to see his children happy. Take care of her and the children she’s giving you and I will always look upon you fondly, my boy. My Freya has a heart I’m convinced beats only for you and her people. She’s strong like her mother,” he remarked kindly, turning his gaze to his daughter who was now taking a dagger offered to her by a shorter man with an odd looking beard and mustache.

“I promise I’ll take care of her. I love her,” Kylo agreed firmly. The hand that came to his shoulder filled him with pride and they both stood there beside each other as they watched Rey grab the back of the man’s shirt and rip it open. A little confused exactly as to what Rey was doing, he could only assume from the few groans of realization around them that whatever happened next wasn’t going to be pretty.

But she stood to look at everyone in the crowd and declared righteously, “For min mor, for mig, og for Danmark!” _For my mother, for me, and for Denmark!_ And then she was steadying herself with her left hand on Snoke’s shoulder before stabbing the end of her blade directly at the top of his spine, Snoke suddenly jolting awake with a guttural cry.

“Don’t worry. My daughter is quite the butcher,” Sweyn chuckled, patting Kylo’s shoulder in amusement as he watched the woman he loved carve the knife in a straight line down Snoke’s spine to expose the blood covered bones to the air. Rey worked fast and efficiently, peeling his skin back to expose the back of his ribs while Snoke wailed bloody murder. Her face was cold, though, as she handed the knife off to the bearded man in exchange for her axe.

Kylo winced a little, his stomach even turning queasy as she cut his ribs in half on the sides, digging into his flesh then with her bare hands to tug the ribs attached to his spine out from his body and pull them into the air. Snoke was choking on blood now, his body twitching to cope with the amount of agony he was going through. It was amazing the man was still even alive with the amount of blood gushing onto the grass below. Her own face was splattered with it and her hands looked drenched in the bodily fluid. And when Kylo thought she was done, Rey just went wrists deep into the meat of Snoke’s body before yanking two breathing organs out with a grunt of exertion.

When his lungs, expanding and collapsing rapidly still, finally came to rest on top of the ribs she’d torn out, Kylo just grimaced and looked away. He hated Snoke just as much as Rey did, especially due to the fact she said he was the one who killed her mother at the beginning of the war cry, but he would’ve just severed the man’s head and put it on a spike. This display almost made him want to throw up. But the rattle of fluid in Snoke’s lungs and cease of involuntary muscle movement seconds later signaled his end.

The rain pattered quietly around them and Rey breathed heavily beside the dead man. Clad in a soaked dress, splattered with blood, gripping an axe, and standing definitely, Rey radiated the energy belonging to a Viking Queen. And when she turned her hazel eyes to Kylo, he just lifted an eyebrow at the display in amusement. He could tell she was holding back a smile, still trying to appear strong, but her eyes gave everything away.

*****

Hours later, after the bodies had been cleared of the field to be burned, Snoke had been lifted into the air by his arms to show off his open back, and her army had made camp closer to the village, Rey was sinking into the hot bath with a wistful sigh. There was a giant celebration going on throughout the entire town, food and drink plenty, but Rey had just wanted to get clean. 

She watched as the water slowly morphed into a pink cloud around her and reached for the soap off to the side to get rid of it completely, but Kylo’s large hand found it first as he slid in behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist- his hand splaying out over her round belly. “You’ve grown so much,” he murmured into her ear as the hand that had grabbed the soap now began to move up and down her blood coated arm. Rey just hummed back in reply, leaning her head against his strong chest as she closed her eyes and savored this moment. “Do you know it’s twins?” he wondered, rubbing his thumb over the stretched skin. 

“I do,” she agreed, sighing heavenly again as he cleaned her like they had all the time in the world. “I’ve already been thinking of names,” Kylo admitted after a few minutes of scrubbing the blood off her left arm and shoulder. Rey giggled a little and nodded slowly, “Alright. Let’s hear them.” He switched out his hands with a pause, the soap now going over her right arm as his left palm cradled her stomach. “Erik or Kyllan for the boy… Kára or Rana for girl.”

It was Rey’s turn to raise an eyebrow at the suggestions. Obviously she’d been expecting Viking names, but they were interesting picks. “And if you had to choose your favorite ones?” she teased a little, finally opening her eyes to tilt her head back and meet his eyes as he began to trail the soap over collar bones. Kylo grinned and moved the hand on her belly more to center, cocking his head to the side as he decided, “Kyllan and Kára Ren.” 

Turning around in his arms to wrap herself around him, Rey just smiled knowingly up at him and rested her chin against his chest as she pointed out humorously, “Those names sound an awful lot like Kylo, but…” The tips of his ears slowly turned pink at the accusation, but he just bent down to press his lips against hers with a happy sigh. “But?” he whispered against her mouth when he pulled away gently. “But I love them… as long as I get to choose middle names.” 

Kylo nodded happily, the palms of his hands resting on her lower back as they drew each other into another kiss that shared just how much they missed each other. Her heart pounded with adoration while she slipped a hand into the back of his hair, tugging him impossibly closer and mentally cursing her belly for getting in the way. And when he lifted one hand to palm her left breast, he pulled away in astonishment to look down and find them slightly bigger than when she’d left.

“These are new,” he stated in shock, gently pinching one of the already tender nipples. “They’re _sensitive_ , too,” Rey hissed lightly, batting his hand away to give him a playful warning look. Kylo’s eyes just darkened in lust and Rey rolled her eyes, splashing water at him before turning away to start undoing the braids in her hair. “Later, Kylo. I’m not having sex with you covered in blood,” she remarked with a breathy laugh.

He huffed behind her, but nodded all the same and reached out to help her with the tight braids that were starting to give her a headache. “I missed you,” Kylo muttered under his breath as they worked at her hair. “I thought of you every day. Hoped you were still alive and waiting for me,” Rey admitted, dropping her hands for a moment to just stand in the bath while Kylo carefully undid her hair. “What? What is it?” he asked softly, finally untangling all of her locks to let them sink into the water.

“Tallie and Rose… they were killed on the journey back. Kaydel is dead too. I saw Phasma… holding her. I have lost almost all of my women for this war, I can’t even begin to imagine what would’ve happened if I lost you too.” She turned then, watery eyes and trembling lips, to gaze upon him in distress. Kylo didn’t say a word, just welcomed her into his arms and held her as she began to sob quietly. 

The steam from the bath floated ethereally into the air as he held her, breathing deeply from her blood encrusted hair as she shook a little bit in his arms. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here and I love you,” he whispered soothingly, running his hands up and down her naturally arching back due to the weight growing in front of her. “We’re alright. Everything is alright. Snoke is dead and your women are safe in Heaven.”

Rey snorted a little bit at the last word, pulling away to nuzzle into his palm that reached up to wipe away her tears. “It sounds strange for you to say Christian things,” she told him with a sad smile, closing her eyes a moment later to hiccup a little and feel his thumb sweep over her wet cheek. “Would you prefer I say they’re fighting endless victorious wars in Valhalla, drinking and dining and fighting happily?” he teased, pressing his full lips against her forehead. 

“I don’t think Rose would be happy with that. Tallie would probably like it after a while,” Rey admitted, opening her eyes again to gaze upon her lover. “Why do you always know what to say to make things better?” she wondered. Kylo offered a small smile to her question and pressed a kiss to her nose before whispering, “I just love you, is all.” 

Rey hummed a little under his attention, then took his hands and placed them on her stomach once more before leaning her forehead against his. And for a few minutes, they just bathed in each other’s presence as the warm water soothed their aching bodies and the lives that grew inside of her gently kicked against their interlocked fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright... I haven't written it before, but how do y'all feel about some pregnant titty suckin *eye emojis*


	17. They Smell New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO'S READY FOR SMUT AND BABIES???
> 
> TW// labor?? idk, it's child birth. there's gonna blood, tears, sweat, screaming, pain, etc. miracle of life baby ;)
> 
> also y'all asked how to pronounce the names; Kyllan: Kill-in, Kára: Care-uh.

As soon as they were back in their home, the celebration still going on throughout the village, Kylo was tossing Rey gently onto the bed with hungry eyes. Giggling a little at his intensity, Rey reached for him and pulled him down on top of her, her stomach brushing against his as he hovered over her. Kylo grinned a little into the kiss they began to share at the feeling, the new dress that Rey had put on getting hiked up past her stomach within the next second so he could move down and plant wet kisses against her skin.

She hummed at the sensation of his lips on the stretched belly, threading her fingers into his already disheveled braids in the way that she liked to do. But when Kylo grabbed her legs and pushed them back so her knees rested by her breasts, Rey let out a soft moan at the feeling of her cunt already pulsing for his touch. His large hands covered the underside of her thighs as he held them up, his full lips moving further and further down her rounded stomach until he was just above where she needed him most.

But of course, he pulled away at the last minute with a teasing grin, his dark eyes flicking up to her needy ones. “I hate you,” Rey whimpered, throwing her head back in frustration as Kylo chuckled and began to push up the rest of her dress until she was completely bare and the clean fabric became a puddle of cloth on the floor. “I don’t believe that,” he murmured humorously against her skin, starting to pick back up the light kisses he was leaving before on her stomach. 

Assuming he was going to pull away when he reached her tits, Rey moaned loudly when his mouth abruptly found her left nipple and began to swirl his tongue around the sensitive bud. Panting below him, and getting wetter by the second, Rey worked her excited hands over his shirt and managed to tug it off of him as he switched from one nipple to the next, his hand covering the abandoned breast to flick, pinch, and fondle the already aching body part.

“ _Fuck,_ I’ve missed you,” Kylo growled against her skin, pulling away from her tits so he could bury his face in her neck, sucking dark marks into the area there; Rey knew it was a display of claiming her. She just gazed at the ceiling of their home with a delighted smile, her eyelashes fluttering in pleasure as her strong Viking covered her with his mouth. “For someone who’s- _ah_ -missed me so much, you sure aren’t doing a lot of fucking,” she pointed out bravely.

Kylo pulled away at that, cocking an eyebrow at her playfully as he questioned, “Oh, you want me to fuck you?” Rey nodded and bit her lip, whining a little when he began to trail his fingertips over her overstimulated nipples and belly. “I want you to say it.” She swallowed thickly at his demand, his hand stopping just above her throbbing cunt. The trickle of slickness that rolled down to the sheets below begged for her to give in and tell Kylo what he wanted to hear, but she was stubborn.

Instead, Rey just rolled over and pushed her ass into the air, her stomach big enough to touch the sheets underneath her when she braced herself on her forearms instead of her palms. Kylo’s giant hands were gliding over her bare cheeks within the next second, almost in a silent worship, before her gave her a light spank and said wittily, “Still want to hear you say it.”

Huffing, Rey turned her head to look over her shoulder and met his dark chocolate eyes that glinted with a perfect balance of humor and lust. “I want you to fuck me like you missed me,” she gritted out, shoving her ass back into his palms as his slight smile died and his expression turned into something hungry. “That’s my girl,” he growled, wrapping his hands around her thighs to yank her back onto his expectant mouth. 

Rey cried out at the feeling of his tongue parting her slick folds, that wonderful muscle tasting everything she had to offer before it settled on swirling around her pulsing clit. Whimpering and stuffing her face into the pillow in front of her, Rey clenched the sheets as Kylo worshipped at her cunt, his tongue lapping up the sweet juices that had started to coat her inner thighs. “Fuck, I missed how good you tasted, min smukke pige _(my beautiful girl)_ ,” he murmured against her dripping pussy, her inner walls spasming at the praise.

Kylo’s hands gripped into her soft thighs a little tighter, pulling her impossibly closer to his mouth as his tongue prodded inside of her, that precise tip of his greedily tasting her velvety walls that hadn’t felt him for months. She was full on mewling and panting into the pillows now, trying to jerk away from the stimulation but push against it at the same time. 

With no mercy, and because she asked, Kylo returned his tongue to her clit and began to suck on the aching little nub with a passion as he removed one of his hands from her thighs and pushed the first finger into her tight cunt. “Fucking hell, you’re so tight, Rey…” he groaned, resting his forehead against her to take some steadying breaths as his middle finger buried itself within her soft, clenching walls. 

Deciding she didn’t want it soft right now, Rey began to pump herself onto his finger which earned a guttural sound from his throat in admiration, getting the idea she wanted him quick enough that he steadied her back with his free hand so he could thrust the single digit into her fast and deep. “ _Kylo!_ Fuck…” she whimpered, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was now gripping the sheets.

He added a second thick finger along with the first a few moments later, his tongue joining the action so he could lick around where his fingers stretched her and pushed inside. And immediately after Kylo had devoured the wetness around her sopping cunt, he put his attention back on her clit and flicked his tongue rapidly over the singing bundle of nerves that cried for his attention. “I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come…” Rey babbled into the pillow, pressing herself into his hand as he fucked her hard with his fingers.

“Come for me, Rey. I want to hear that sweet voice of yours scream my name,” Kylo urged, removing his mouth so he could focus all his efforts on twisting his fingers within her tight pussy and curl against the soft spot that had her shuddering and reaching her climax with a cry of, “ _Kylo!_ ” 

Her thighs and cunt steadily grew wetter, her juices gushing and dripping down her inner thighs only for Kylo to catch every last drop with his tongue as he continued to push his fingers in and out- slower this time. Her cunt clenched around the girthy digits until she could take no more, then Kylo withdrew his hand and began to push down his trousers as she attempted to catch her breath. 

Rey’s cheeks were bright pink and her long hair was sticking to her face, neck, and back, but she still managed to look over her shoulder and meet his adoring eyes with her own wide, hazel ones. She looked positively wrecked already and when Kylo pulled out that absolutely mouthwatering cock she’d missed so much, Rey just whimpered with anticipation. What surprised her, though, was the hand that reached below her to gently cover her round belly as he kept his eyes locked with hers and pushed himself against her quivering cunt.

“I’m taking you every single day until they come,” he informed her seriously. Rolling her eyes and glancing down to the length barely pressuring against her, Rey just hissed, “Well you better get on with it then or- _ah!_ ” she yelped, relishing in the pleasure that shot through every nerve in her body as he thrust himself deep inside of her without hesitation. The groan that came from him showed just how much he’d enjoyed that too and he choked out, “ _Fucking tight,_ ” before bottoming out within her.

They both remained there for a few beats, breathing heavily and adjusting to the other as Rey fisted the sheets and Kylo gripped her hips, his hand releasing her pregnant belly. “Good?” he finally grunted from behind her. “Mhmm,” was all she could get out, finally opening her eyes even though she hadn’t realized she’d closed them. The drag of his cock pulling out of her caused her to moan softly, but the harsh thrust back inside just made her cry with ecstasy. 

“Gods…” Rey whimpered, throwing her head back as she pushed herself up onto her hands to arch her back for a deeper feel. The hand that threaded into her hair was somewhat expected and the tug that came with it, forcing her head back, only added to the pleasure coursing through her veins. “Fuck, I’ve missed your sweet cunt. So wet and tight and warm… goddamn perfect,” Kylo growled behind her.

The lewd sounds of skin slapping against skin filled the room along with moans, breathy gasps, and laborious groans. The tight feeling of a second orgasm was building steadily within Rey’s stomach and she tried to get back down onto her forearms, but Kylo just pulled her back by the hair he loved so much and stated lowly, “You wanted me to fuck you like a missed you? I’m fucking you like I missed you.” 

The soft mewl that fell from her lips made Kylo moan in that deep timber voice that sent a jolt of pleasure straight to Rey’s cunt, one shaky hand of hers reaching behind her only for her stomach to get in the way. “Fucking hell…” she grimaced, bracing herself again even though her clit was throbbing for attention. “Want me to touch you, min smukke pige?” She nodded quickly at his question, whimpering greedily as he let up on her hip and pushed his fingers against her sensitive clit.

“Fuck, _Kylo_ ,” she moaned, her cunt clenching around him hard enough that he hissed and nearly came on the spot. With every thrust he gave her, a noisy squelch followed from just how wet she was and they both knew they were reaching their end based on the fact their breathing and dirty noises grew heavier and louder. “I’m close, I’m close… _fuck,_ I’m gonna come!” Rey cried, Kylo finally letting go of her hair so she could drop onto her forearms and give herself fully to his blows.

His hand tightened around her hip and with his fingers rolling steady circles into her clit, Rey came with a shout of his name and trembling thighs. Her velvety soft pussy clenched around his cock repeatedly, Kylo joining her soon after with a swear followed by her name. His hot cum pumped inside of her with steady spurts, filling her until no more could stay inside and it began to glide down her inner thighs with her own slickness.

Groaning at the feeling of her cunt gripping him with gentle contractions, Kylo let himself stay inside of her until his cock went soft. He pulled out carefully, a weak whine coming from Rey at the stimulation until he was completely free of her beautiful body. And within seconds, Rey was collapsing on her side, her breathing still trying to steady out as Kylo curled himself against her back and wrapped his arms around her swollen stomach.

For a while, the room was filled with the sounds of their shaky air and soft strokes with both of their hands over her belly. “We made these,” Rey whispered into the dark room what seemed like hours later. Kylo pressed his lips to her shoulder and nestled his head into her neck, murmuring humorously, “We can always make more.” She just laughed softly and laced her fingers with his, shaking her head playfully. “Let’s just get through these two and we’ll see… chief Ren.” He groaned at the new title, not knowing she already knew he had been promoted while she was away.

“Don’t remind me…” he grumbled, tickling the junction between her shoulder and neck to rouse a giggle from her. “I can’t believe I’m going to be the chief’s wife,” Rey admitted happily. “I can’t believe I’m going to be the Queen of Denmark’s husband,” he pushed back, grinning at her title. Rey went quiet for a moment, but finally mumbled, “I’m not going to take that name when my father dies. It will pass to his most trusted advisor instead.”

Kylo sat up a little bit and stared at her until her hazel eyes finally met his. He was worried, but not frowning or angry like she thought he might be. “Can I ask why?” he questioned softly, pulling some hair out of her face with concern. 

She rolled onto her back and reached up to cup the side of his face with a small smile, soaking in the gorgeous features he had that she loved so much. “Because nothing would make me happier than to be the chief’s wife, right here, where I already have everything I want.”

And when he leaned down to press his lips against hers, they both ignored the salty tang that came with the kiss from both of them. 

_4 months later_

Rey huffed with exertion as she sat down at the top of the slope, the tall green grass reaching her elbows as she leaned back and bathed in the sun like she did every day. Flowers and feathery grasses bent in the warm breeze that blew around her and she sighed contently, tilting her head back as the rays above heated her face to perfection. It was just the beginning of summer, but Rey had been sunbathing for the past few months anyway.

She’d had time to properly mourn her friends, bury Kaydel’s body, negotiate the terms to her and Kylo’s marriage with her father still around- though the entire process had only taken a day since they knew exactly what they wanted- and say goodbye to Sweyn and the army who decided to make the journey back to her father’s when winter officially ended. 

Rey also happened to be due any day now. 

Her stomach was… massive, for lack of a better term. The swell from twins was unlike anything she expected, especially for her already small frame, and she found herself more and more sore these days. Her feet ached from carrying the extra weight, her back constantly felt like it was breaking in half, and don’t even get her started on how goddamn sensitive her tits had become, not that her future husband was complaining. But she had Kylo, and everything seemed to be more bearable when he was around. 

Phasma had decided to stay behind with Rey after all and was given the rights of a shield maiden rather than a bed maid. Like her and Kylo, Phasma had opted to build her own home away from the village below and only called upon Rey when she wanted to go into town and have her translate. She was learning the language, slower than Rey had, but she was getting better at acclimating to their society. 

A sharp kick came to Rey’s ribs as she lowered herself against the grass to lie completely on her back. “You two are going to be the death of me,” she grumbled, running her palm over the sheer fabric of her night gown. As if on cue, another blow jolted her from inside and she lost her breath at that one. “Something is telling me you want to go for a swim today,” she huffed, easing herself back up with great effort until she was able to slowly get to her feet.

This had become another ritual of hers in the morning, and one that Kylo wasn’t invited to. One thing that Rey hadn’t been prepared for was how seriously men took pregnancy within the last month… Kylo never left her fucking side. The mother, see, absolutely had to deliver the baby within her household, so once the baby was due in about a month, it wasn’t advised that Rey traveled far beyond their home. 

And Kylo also never left. It didn’t matter how high-status he was or what commitments he had, he didn’t leave their home once their babies were due within a month. This was because, another shock to her, he had to be at the birth. If Kylo wasn’t there, then he couldn’t fulfill his side of tradition and then their children would apparently not exist due to the fact they didn’t have the rights of a human until Kylo accepted them. 

Yes, Rey was definitely feeling a little smothered. 

On top of that, he also had to be present for the actual birth. Law, tradition, and the Gods required that he was in the same room. In England, most men preferred to wait outside or not show up at all, but no. Kylo was going to be in the same room as her while she pushed two seven pound babies out of her fucking cunt. Just what Rey wanted her lover to see. However, they’d compromised, as they always did, and Rey was able to get the mornings to herself to sunbathe, swim in the waterfall, and tend to her chickens if she wanted.

There was suddenly nothing Rey looked forward to more than when Kylo gave her that anxious look that screamed _please don’t go too far today_ only for her to hike over the slopes to swim in the waterfall or lay under the sun. And their children definitely had a preference on which one they wanted to do today. “Gods help us all if you don’t end up being the best swimmers in the world,” Rey scolded, patting her stomach as she headed towards the rush of water.

All in all, life had been, for the most part, pure bliss since the war had ended.

Kylo got to really meet her father and earn his blessing to marry her, Rey had hesitantly met Kylo’s parents and learned about all the ground they had covered while she was away, Zorii had sailed back home to be with the man she actually wanted to marry, the wedding had been nulled by Rey burning the contract without remorse, and the bond between her and her future husband had only grown.

They spent most of their days together cleaning up the house, laughing, playing with their weapons outside in little games, taking care of the animals, and bathing (no surprise there). And yes, Kylo had truly kept his word when he said he was going to fuck her every day. They’d stopped within the last month, simply because there was an old wives tale that said something along the lines of ‘coming inside a pregnant woman will bring on contractions for labor’ and the last thing Rey wanted was to have their babies earlier than she expected.

Although, there really wasn’t a way to predict what day they were supposed to arrive. It was known that Rey was due sometime this month, anyone could tell that from the size of her goddamn stomach, and Kylo had only grown more wary of her leaving the house to hike off somewhere. 

_Please, what was the worst that could happen?_

When the sound of rushing water soon filled her ears, Rey rubbed her tummy and grinned. “Hear that? It’s what you two seem to love more than me,” she mused, carefully heading down the side of the hill that led to the lake she would bathe in. Her bare feet were the first things to touch the warm liquid, a content sigh leaving her lips as she tugged the nightgown off and waded further into the water until it came up to her collar bone.

And sure enough, no kicks came when she rolled over onto her back and floated blissfully on top of the surface. The sun warmed her skin as she relaxed in the pleasant water, her eyes closing after a few moments so she could feel completely at peace with the world. 

Then the gush of fluid between her legs came.

Her eyes flung open and her heart stilled for a moment as a dull cramping sensation followed. For a few minutes, Rey remained frozen on her back as the water lapped at her body and the sun heated her skin. Another painful cramp came just as she began to calm down a little and Rey finally came to terms with the fact that yes, her water had just broke and yes, she was getting contractions. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, I brought you to the goddamn waterfall and _this_ is how you repay me?!” Rey cried, bringing herself upright as she pushed a protective hand under her stomach and waded towards the shore.

When another aching jolt came to her lower half, Rey squeezed her eyes shut and took in a slow, steadying breath to ease the ache away. “You better hope Kylo doesn’t throw a fit when we get home. This is your fault, not mine,” she hissed, managing to pull on the nightgown and move back towards the hill. For what felt like an eternity, Rey fumbled along the side of the slanted landscape and finally managed to make it back within the general vicinity of their home. 

“Kylo?” she called loudly, bracing herself against the side of the barn as another contraction hit hard- the inner convulsions starting to get more frequent and painful. When no one came out of the house for a few moments, Rey gritted her teeth and screamed louder, “Kylo, get your ass out here!” The sound of the front door swinging open calmed her racing heart a little and his panicked face came into view just seconds later.

He froze in his spot, unsure of exactly what to do until Rey glared at him, panting, and ordered in a sickly sweet voice, “Honey, I’m going into labor. I need you to- _ah, fuck_ \- I need you to get Phasma and Leia while I… while I get the bedroom ready.” When he didn’t move, she growled out in agony, “ _Now_ , please.” Seeming to snap out of whatever trance he was in Kylo, rushed over to help her into the house before he was taking off in the direction of Phasma’s home.

Wheezing a little at the throbbing in her cervix, Rey directed herself towards the bedroom and began to pull off the furs and nice blankets until all that remained was the mattress and thin sheet that would have to be replaced after the trauma she was about to go through. “You really couldn’t wait until I came back? You just had to start coming while we were relaxing?” Rey grumbled to her stomach, pulling herself up onto the bed to get on her hands and knees like Leia had told her most Viking women did. She didn’t really want to hear labor talk from her father, and Phasma had no clue either, so that left Kylo’s mother. 

That was a pleasant discussion. 

Sometime after a few more contractions and heavy breaths, the front door slammed open again and Kylo, along with Phasma and Leia, were rushing into the room with wide, excited eyes. “Please stop looking at me like this is a miracle and get them the _fuck_ out of me,” Rey snarled, wincing a little when another agonizing clench wracked through her body. Out of all the fluids Rey expected to come out of her, sweat was something she seemed to forget existed. 

“Gods, I’m going to need a bath after this…” she groaned, and when the millionth stab of pain seemed to come to her cervix, the room burst to life as orders of getting rags and water filled the room, hands repositioned her, and dark chocolate eyes clashed with her own hazel ones while words of love and encouragement fell deaf on her pounding ears. 

*****

Hours passed.

Blood, tears, and sweat seemed to coat her skin as she dropped to her forearms, shaking her head as she sobbed, “I can’t do it.” But hands were pulling her back up and staring into her red face with all the love in the world. “Yes you can. I know you can.” Kylo’s voice sounded like an angel’s in her head, a determined lull that was so certain she could deliver their babies naturally.

Biting her lip and letting out another sob when the pain came in an agonizing wave over her entire body, Rey weakly nodded and shakily pushed herself back up onto her hands as she attempted to take deep breaths. “Phasma, give me another rag, won’t you?” Kylo asked nervously, extending one hand out as he continued to lock eyes with Rey. The cool water that washed over her face was nice, but only lasted so long before Leia was demanding she push.

Squeezing her eyes shut and trying her best to get the damn thing out of her, Rey clutched Kylo’s forearms and gave it everything she had with an excruciating wail that probably alerted the whole village to what was happening. “That’s the fucking head…” Phasma whispered, her face going white as she looked away from behind Rey, obviously never wanting to look back there again.

“Come on, Rey, one more,” Leia instructed, all embarrassment about Kylo’s mother being the one to stare at her, well… _yeah_ , going out the window. Nodding to assure herself she could do it, Rey took another deep breath, then pushed for one final time before an overwhelming pressure came to her lower half and then… crying. A sob of relief spilled out of her mouth at the sound and the first baby was handed off to Phasma who extended it to Kylo.

His eyes were wide and lips parted as he stared at the small being in his arms covered in blood and a white substance. The sweet little thing balled its fists up and fidgeted in his arms, but otherwise made no sound as it batted at the air and kicked its feet. Lowering himself back to his knees in front of Rey, the two of them both stared at the baby in his arms with all the wonder in the world. “Kyllan…” Rey breathed out, tears streaming down her sweaty face as she reached out a shaky finger and stroked the side of the baby’s cheek. 

Kylo smiled then, a full on dimpled thing, and looked up to meet Rey’s eyes- his own gaze filled with tears and adoration. “Kyllan,” he confirmed softly. And for a brief moment, they both took turns flicking their gaze from each other to the tiny human dwarfed in his giant arms and hands. 

But sooner or later, another sharp ache came to her lower half and the pain started again as the second one moved its way through her. Kylo handed the child off to Phasma who was in charge of wiping the baby boy down in a small bath they had set up to the side while the Viking returned to Rey and Leia began coaxing her to push again. “I take back what I said,” Kylo admitted as he met Rey’s pained face. “Wh… What are you talking about?” she breathed harshly.

He grinned a little and brushed some hair away from her wet, heated face. “I don’t think we should have any more.” Rey just glared at him and grumbled, “Don’t fucking come inside of me then.” Kylo laughed a little at that, but then she was sobbing again and crying out as she pushed hard to get the second one out. 

“Maybe… maybe in like, _fuck, ow,_ maybe in a few years, I’ll think… I’ll think ‘yeah, why not? L- _ah_ … Let’s do it again…’ but today is _not_ that fucking day,” Rey growled, grasping his hands so tight he felt she might break them. 

She pushed for what seemed like an eternity, her body tired and wracked with pain, but eventually Leia and Phasma began to encourage her repeatedly to the point she knew that the second baby was close. And when everyone began shouting, “ _Push,_ Rey, come on!” she just gritted her teeth and gave it all she got until crying echoed through the room again and there was nothing else to push out of her. 

Once again, the child was passed off to Kylo who knelt down in front of her one more time to show off the healthy little girl squirming in his arms. This one let out a few weak cries, but remained relatively calm like her brother had. 

“Kára,” Rey sighed with a smile, reaching out to touch the tiny hand that instinctively curled around her index finger. Laughing a little at the action, Rey met Kylo’s proud eyes and without a second thought, they both leaned forward to push their lips together, even if hers weren’t in the same state as his were.

“Alright, Kylo give Phasma the baby and help me get Rey to the bath, won’t you?” Leia instructed next, waving her son towards the tall blonde waiting for the second child. It was a blur from the blood soaked bed to the giant tub that had been dragged into the room at some point, but the soothing warm water that washed away her sweat, blood, and tears nearly made Rey cry from how good it felt as they carefully eased her into the bath. 

Her nightgown that was in a horrible state was peeled off of her at some point and for a few minutes, Rey was able to actually just… rest. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as the water steadied around her and accepted her aching body while Phasma and Leia cleaned off the babies of blood and whatever else stained their skin. The cloth that dipped into the water beside her and started to clean her off was ultimately what pulled her back, her tired eyes cracking open to meet Kylo as she still tried to steady her breathing.

“I told you you could do it,” he said with a soft smile, running the wet cloth over her face to finally get rid of the sweat and tears that had accumulated from the second baby. “I don’t want to do it again anytime soon,” Rey murmured back, weakly lifting a hand out of the water to hold his until he took her wet palm gently and pushed his lips against the back of it. “I love you,” Kylo whispered, his eyes staring straight into hers and full of love. “I love you, too.” They gazed upon each other fondly as the women off to the side eventually brought the babies to a presentable state.

And as Kylo continued to wash off his future wife, Phasma and Leia carefully brought the twins down to Rey’s arms, the sweet little things swatting at the air with their eyes closed and mouths opened. The tears that welled up in Rey’s eyes now were from pure joy as she stared at the tiny beings in her arms, dark tufts of hair already on the top of their heads. 

One of them just barely opened their eyes in the middle of sleep, but the breath of, “ _Oh_ ,” that fell out of Rey’s lips seemed to startle everyone. “What? What is it?” Kylo asked anxiously, moving around to look over her shoulder as the little boy curled up in her left arm blinked tiredly up at him. “He’s got our eyes,” she stated softly, looking up at Kylo as he observed one eye that was hazel like hers and the other that was dark chocolate like his. “Do you think Kára has it too?” Rey wondered.

Carefully, Kylo reached around her and gently pulled back the lids to find that yes, she did, but in the opposite order of her brother. “Beautiful…” she murmured, bending forward to place a soft kiss on both of their foreheads. The room was quiet as Rey leaned back in the tub, two babies in her arms and Kylo behind her with his chin on her shoulder. His arms at some point had wrapped around her own while they both looked down at what they’d created, and it was decided then that Phasma and Leia were no longer needed.

Quiet goodbyes were said as well as thank you’s and both of the women promised to check in tomorrow morning after the first night. For a while, it was just the two of them peering down at Kyllan and Kára without a word, but Kylo eventually reached out to run a thumb over the little girl’s nose that seemed to bear a resemblance to Rey’s. “They’ve got your nose,” he told her under his breath so as not to wake them up. “Mmm, they’ve got your hair,” she giggled, lifting the boy up so the top of his head came to her nose where she could smell him lovingly.

“They smell… new.” Rey’s voice was filled with affection and she turned her head to look over her shoulder where Kylo was, his own warm eyes finding her a second later. “Did you think about what you wanted for middle names?” he asked, reaching out to push some of her hair behind her ear. Smiling a little, Rey looked back down and cocked her head to the side as she gazed upon Kára. 

“Kára Daisy Ren for her…” she decided, pushing her nose against the black patch of hair on the top of the baby’s head tenderly. “And for him… Kyllan Adam Ren.” He nodded at the names before pressing a kiss to the top of her sweaty hair, resting his chin back on her shoulder as he echoed, “Kára Daisy and Kyllan Adam Ren… _ours_.” 

And if that didn’t swell Rey’s heart with emotion, she didn’t know what did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sniffs* they're gonna be such great parents :,)
> 
> also i may or may not have teared up a bit because parent fluff? ugh... i'm sappy these days.


	18. Freya Ren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S WEDDING TIME!!! Kylo and Rey's wedding is heavily inspired by Floki and Helga's which is super cute (linked at beginning of chapter). You guys can watch it and get a feel for what is going to be described- their outfits are also based on the ones in the video!
> 
> As y'all can see I brought the chapter count down, so it's just the epilogue after this one :( 
> 
> I've had a really shitty start back at college but I had so much fun writing this cute, short, sweet little chapter... so enjoy y'all because this is pretty much the end... xx

<https://youtu.be/U90DvF4Xm6A>

“Does it look okay?” Rey fussed, pressing the palms of her hands against the cream colored dress, the complex red stitching on her arms flashing on the mirror in front of her as she worried at her bottom lip and inspected the sleeves from different angles. “You look beautiful, now shut up,” Phasma groaned, trying to set the flower kransen on top of her hair while Rey stressed underneath her. 

Leia just watched in amusement from the side and turned her head to look at Zorii who also stifled her giggles at the fretting bride. When Rey turned to gaze at the room of women, all of them grinning at her in entertainment, her shoulders deflated with a sigh. “I’m worrying about this too much, aren’t I?” Rey grumbled, turning back to the mirror to observe her wedding dress, flower kransen, and intricately braided hair. Fuck the wedding dress, the hair was the focus for Viking weddings and Leia made sure to make a statement with the way Rey’s hair was styled.

“For someone who led an army five months pregnant, you sure are intimidated by marrying the man you love,” Bazine remarked from where she leaned against the wall. Rey nodded at the teasing point and tried to make herself brave, taking a deep breath while she tilted her chin up and stared at her reflection. “How much time do we have until we’re supposed to leave?” she questioned the group of women behind her. “Ten minutes ago,” Leia replied humorously.

Pursing her lips, Rey nodded and fiddled with her hands by her sides. “Right… _right_ , okay. Yeah, okay, let’s go get me married.” A collective sigh of relief filled the room as the four women sitting around her clambered to their feet and got their bearings. Rey walked over to the corner of the space where two woven baskets filled with yellow, purple, white, and red flowers held her sleeping two-year-olds, both of them completely passed out as they usually were.

She smiled at their faces, their features already starting to stand out so much. They were toddlers now, just over two years in age, and dealing with them running around had become her and Kylo’s biggest issue as of late- that is, when they weren’t asleep. Rey was convinced they tired themselves out from sprinting around the house and around their little slope of land, but Kylo had to remind her every time that they’d practically been asleep since they were born.

Kyllan had his father’s jawline and Rey’s lips, but Kára had Rey’s high cheekbones and Kylo’s beauty marks. They were a perfect blend of their parents’ faces in different ways, but they were beautiful and Rey fell more and more in love with them every day. It had been difficult at first with figuring things out like routines when it came to feeding, sleeping, and changing, but Leia and Han had surprisingly stepped in to help quite a bit. 

They both knew it was because of how they’d handled Kylo when he was little, but they appreciated it all the same. Phasma had become a godmother in every sense of the word, constantly hanging around even if she swore the kids annoyed her. Her affection was obvious. And Kylo… _oh, Kylo._ He spent every waking moment adoring them. If he wasn’t chasing them around outside only to pick them up and swing them around, he was sitting on the floor playing with wooden toys and tiny, dull weapons. 

And if he was very lucky, when Rey wasn’t around, he was telling them stories about their brave mother who went to war just for the right to marry him while she was pregnant with them. The only reason Rey knew he was telling them the tale she didn’t like very much, particularly because he had no problem telling their tiny, innocent brains all the gory details, was because they’d scream, “Freya the Fierce!” every time she’d come back into the house. 

That had earned him many a scolding. 

But now, now it was time to marry the Viking on the same shore she’d come to nearly two and a half years ago. 

For the past week, Rey had been away from her future husband with the four women and her children to go through one of the many rituals that had to be completed before their weddings because, as everyone said, they weren’t truly married under the eyes of the Gods unless they did every single tradition. That meant Rey had hauled herself along with the others to a cabin meant for this exact kind of ceremony at the end of the waterway that eventually lead to the shore of their village.

It had been a day’s walk, out of sight enough where she wouldn’t be able to see Kylo and where Kylo wouldn’t be able to see her, and she’d resided there for the last week with everyone in the cozy cabin as they went on with the women’s preparations. 

According to traditions, grooms and brides were separated with the intentions of stripping away their old selves so they could be prepared to enter a new life together. Rey was therefore stripped of her old clothing and leather kransen- which she never wore, much to her delight. Because the object was a symbol of virginity, something Rey didn’t have when she met Kylo, the kransen would be saved for Kára when she was of age. Hence the reason for the flower kransen on her wedding day… a bridal crown to show she was no longer the virgin anymore.

Although, it was _painfully_ obvious she wasn’t one. 

There was a bathhouse attached to the cabin meant for the sole purpose of bridal cleansing and Rey was a little wary about the ritual that came with that particular residence. The day before today, the women had filled the bath with hot stones and birch twigs to heat the water to an insufferable temperature and Rey had felt like she was about to pass out as sweat rolled down her skin like rain. 

Apparently the hot bath was a symbol of washing away a bride’s maiden status, but Rey was immediately dragged from the hot bath to a freezing one that had her yelping at the sudden temperature change while goosebumps rippled over her skin. “Anything to close the pores,” Leia had told her with a grin. 

Kylo also underwent symbolic rituals for the wedding, something she wondered about most of the time they were apart. Was he also taking this horrifying contrast of a full body cleanse? The answer was yes, though she was oblivious to the fact he had to break into a goddamn ancestor’s grave to retrieve a sword meant to strip away his bachelorhood. Something about emerging from the grave to signify he’d entered death as a boy but emerged back to life as a man… 

Not that Rey would know that until after the wedding, though. 

The group of women headed down the side of the slope that led to the river, four boats adorned by the same lush flowers in her children’s baskets floating along the shore. Rey knew which one was hers though, a magnificent wooden throne sat in the middle of her flat boat which was also covered in the floral decorations. Her boat would be pushed by Leia while the other girls would each have their own to paddle behind them in a V like formation.

If she strained her eyes enough, she could see the shoreline of where Rey would be marrying Kylo- a large crowd curved around what looked to be an altar of some sort as giant bonfires roared around it. Taking in a nervous breath, Rey carefully stepped onto the flat boat and set her babies down at her feet before taking a seat in the wooden chair that would take her to her future husband. Leia got on soon after and picked up the long oar with a smile.

“You look beautiful,” she encouraged Rey, looking over her shoulder a minute after their tender moment to see the other women had gotten onto their own rafts as well and also held the propellant firmly in their hands. “Alright, lad os få denne kvinde gift! _(let’s get this woman married!)_ ” Leia cheered to the others, a giant smile blooming over Rey’s face as she blushed and felt the first push of the boat towards the shore.

A small party of men were breaking through the middle of the crowd as Rey and the women got closer, Kylo at the very front dressed in the same fabric that made up her gown. The cream colored tunic decorated with red stitching like hers fell to his thighs and a brown belt displaying different meaningful runes was wrapped around his waist. His pants were black, as usual, and she could just barely make out that his hands were covered in charcoal as he carried a sword flat across his palms. 

Music started up as they pushed onwards, the sound of drums, rattles, and wooden flutes filling the air with an upbeat and joyous tempo. Kylo caught her eyes when he noticed the boats growing closer and the grin that broke out over both of their faces made Leia laugh behind her. “Oh, you two are smitten,” she teased. Rey couldn’t see it, but there was also a large smile on her face as well as she observed her son impatiently hand the sword to Finn behind him before rushing to the shoreline.

Rey giggled as Kylo ran into the water, getting his legs soaking wet while he charged her boat that was just a few feet from him now. Knowing what he wanted, Rey extended her arms and rose from her chair as he reached for her and tugged her down to him, lifting her up into the perfect bridal carry so her dress wouldn’t get wet. The crowd of villagers chuckled happily at their display, shaking their heads and grinning as they watched their chief turn to them with a smile that said _this beautiful woman is going to be my wife!_

“Are you going to take me to the altar or are you going to hold me in the water?” Rey teased, nuzzling her face into his neck, her cheeks burning a bright pink from the affection. “Altar. Immediately. You look beautiful, Freya,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. They trudged out of the water, Rey still wrapped in his arms until they reached solid ground and he could carefully put her down. 

Leia and the other women docked the boats on the shore and joined the others, his mother tasked with the responsibility of caring for the children during the week long celebration they were about to embark on. _It was strange to think their entire relationship revolved around weddings,_ Rey thought for a moment as they approached the altar- a wooden arch filled with flowers that matched her boat, a fur placed underneath it, and two bonfires roaring beside them. 

He’d left for a wedding when Rey had been injured, the start of their journey, they’d fallen in love and gotten pregnant while he was being set up for an arranged marriage, and now they were finally getting married to each other. Rey smiled at her little revelation, but kept it to herself as the music finally died down and a slender woman clad in a long, red dress approached them with an adoring smile.

There were feathers in her hair and charcoal lined her eyes, but Rey recognized her as the woman that would officiate their marriage before the village and guests that had traveled from far and wide to see it. Her father and his people had come, the armies that had helped her in the war had come too, and distant allies of Kylo’s had also made the journey to see them married to each other.

To say all eyes of Denmark were on them was an understatement.

“Such a lovely couple, you two are. My name is Amilyn, I officiated your mother and father’s wedding, and now I’ll be officiating yours.” The woman beamed at both of them and allowed them a moment to gaze into each other’s eyes. Kylo’s honey-chocolate irises were filled with all the love in the world and Rey couldn’t help but blush under his gaze, hoping her own expression told him just how much she adored him too. 

They’d fallen in love together, fought a war together, brought two beautiful children into the world together, and now were getting married together. It had been a whirlwind two and a half years, but Rey wouldn’t change anything for the world. And it seemed like Kylo felt that way too as he mouthed so only she could see, _I love you_. Rey smiled and mouthed back, _I know._ He just grinned like a fool and turned to Amilyn, nodding to signal they were ready. 

“Before we begin the ceremony, it is tradition to make a sacrifice to the Gods and Goddesses so they may look upon this marriage today!” Amilyn cried, roaming her eyes over the mass of people gathered around. “To the bride’s wishes due to their young children, the sacrifice of a goat was completed earlier and its blood collected.” A man Rey had never seen before walked over with a wooden bowl in his hands, passing it over to the priestess who thanked him softly.

She spoke a strange language then under her breath, calling upon the Gods and Goddesses as she dipped her fingers into the blood and then flicked it upon them three times. Rey hadn’t been too thrilled when Kylo told her about this part, and even though she knew it was coming, Rey still flinched when the blood splattered across her skin. Was it bad to say this wouldn’t be the first time her face had blood sprayed on it? 

When Amilyn had completed what needed to be done, she passed the bowl back to her helper and looked over to where Rey’s women were standing next, Phasma coming over in the next second to extend the sword Rey had crafted last month for Kylo to the older woman. Finn stepped out from Kylo’s party as well with the sword Kylo had made for Rey and handed it off, giving it to the priestess while she grasped the other. And then, Rey’s sword was given to Kylo and Kylo’s sword was given to Rey. 

They both stared stupidly at each other, very obviously excited and giddy, as they lifted the swords and crossed them in front of each other. Amilyn reached out to Rey and gently took her face, looking deep into her eyes and said passionately, “Rey, you must hold this sword and trust in this man.” She nodded and turned her gaze back to Kylo who was then told the same thing with the same action, “Kylo, you must hold this sword and trust in this woman.”

He nodded as well, finally meeting her eyes a few unbearable seconds later. Amilyn just shook her head, obviously amused by how infatuated the two were with each other. “Her sword transfers the power of protection over the woman to her new husband,” Amilyn informed the crowd, the couple still gazing in utter happiness at each other, “and his sword transfers the power of protection over the man to his new wife.”

A pleased murmur filled the crowd at the statement and Rey wiggled her eyebrows in humor, showing off that something good had happened. Kylo just laughed at her, his dimples coming out in that way she loved so much. 

_And she made sure she told him all the time how much she loved his smile._

“Now the rings!” Amilyn declared, turning back to the crowd where Poe was standing within Kylo’s party. Rey could see him roll his eyes, obviously not liking the fact that he was the one that had to present the rings, but she just giggled at the task forced upon him and watched him push through the crowd to extend the silver bands to Amilyn. Separating them into two hands, the priestess lifted his ring into the air and placed it on the tip of his sword before doing the same to hers. 

Another dull wave of comments filled the crowd around them, signaling they were getting closer to officially being married. Rey shifted on her feet in excitement, cocking her head a little to the side as Kylo just grinned and shook his head at her impatience. 

Suddenly, Amilyn grabbed Kylo’s face and asked seriously while she stared into his eyes, “Kylo, do you swear to the Gods that you _want_ to marry this woman?” Kylo swallowed hard at the abrupt change of tone, but looked over to Rey- his face still in Amilyn’s hands- then nodded and said proudly, “I do… with the Gods as my witnesses.” A whistle sounded from the crowd as well as light chuckles, but Amilyn was already moving on to Rey to take her face in her hands once more.

“Rey, do you swear to the Gods that you _want_ to marry this man?” She nodded eagerly, a huge toothy grin spreading over her face as she looked at Kylo and announced, “I do, with the Gods as my witnesses.” A quick round of claps and cheers came from the mass of people watching, but it died down when Amilyn smiled in acknowledgement and lifted a hand. “Then under the Gods, accept your rings and become man and wife!” 

Nervously, they both reached up so as to still balance the ring of metal on the ends of their swords, then grabbed them at the same time and pushed them onto their ring fingers. Finally, the sounds of elated cheers filled their ears from them legally being bound together, but it was all blocked out to Rey as she stared at her strong Viking- the man who had done nothing but loved and cared for her for years now. Acting without another thought, Rey stabbed her sword into the earth and launched herself forward to kiss her husband.

Kylo staggered back in surprise, but wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her in as the crowd went wild with celebration around them. Their kiss didn’t last very long, just enough to show the other how happy they were to finally be man and wife. A sudden thought jolted Rey when she pulled away to stare up at Kylo with a dazed expression.

_She was Freya Ren now._

Another awestruck smile consumed her face and she pushed her lips against his one more time as the absolute giant of a man swung her around with child-like joy. When he set her down, they were both laughing and looking at the crowd for confirmation they were enjoying it just as much as they were. “Now for what you all have been waiting for…” Amilyn began with joyous mystery, “the bride and groom will race to the feast and the family of the person who loses the race will have to serve everyone beer for the rest of the night!”

The ecstatic roar that filled Rey’s ears was even louder than the one the crowd had given when they’d been married, but Rey just laughed and leaned into her husband. “You know I’m going to beat you, don’t you?” she asked with a teasing grin, looking up at Kylo who just smirked down at her. “And you know that I’m going to beat _you,_ don’t you?” he retorted cockily. 

“Mmm, we’ll see about that, chief Ren,” Rey giggled, slapping his chest lightly as the crowd parted down the middle so they’d be able to run out. The feast was within the lodge, a grand thing Leia had set up a week before the women were required to leave the village. Of course, she’d left specific instructions on decorations for the women who weren’t going with them, so Rey had yet to see the finished outcome of the lodge.

The crowd quieted in anticipation as Kylo and Rey both took sprinting positions, sizing each other up in amusement as Amilyn lifted her hand in the air, paused for a long moment, then dropped it. Without any hesitation, Rey took off as fast as she could, Kylo hot on her heels as the sound of gravel crunching below their feet and heavy breaths filled the air. “When did you get so fucking fast?” he growled behind her, just barely by her side.

“Since I had two living beings exit my body!” Rey laughed, purposely shoving him a little so he stumbled and fell somewhat behind. “That’s cheating!” Kylo cried, pushing himself harder until he was back to his original place by her side and the lodge was just in view. Rey grinned and with the last bit of strength she could muster, a judge waiting beside the door of the lodge, and she finally broke through into the household first as Kylo groaned and slowed down beside her.

Glaring playfully, he just wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her back into another kiss as they stood within the doorway, the judge shaking his head with a grin. “Do you want to have two more living beings in your body?” Kylo asked suggestively when he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. Biting her lip, Rey looked up at him through her lashes and whispered back, “Who’s to say I don’t have two more inside of me right now?”

He reeled back, suddenly shocked, and Rey grinned a little when his hands came to her flat stomach like they had two years ago. “Are you sure?” Kylo questioned softly, looking over her shoulder to see the crowd rushing towards the lodge steadily. “Let’s just say I probably won’t be drinking anything this week.” With a wink, she pulled away from her husband’s embrace and turned to the crowd with a triumphant grin while she threw her hands into the air.

Everyone cheered for her victory, but it was a sudden push to get inside and get started with the feast. “Great, now we have to pour beer,” Han grumbled when he walked in with Leia, Rey’s children still asleep in their carriers within her hands. “I can take them. Thank you, Leia,” Rey murmured as she grasped the woven baskets filled with flowers and toddlers. “Lucky me. Babies, now beer,” she huffed, a teasing smile below it all.

When Rey turned back to Kylo, his face held some emotions that made her heart skip a beat. His eyes were filled with adoration, a gentle grin tugged his lips up perfectly, and his cheeks were the slightest shade of pink from utter love and devotion. “I love you, Freya Ren,” he told her boldly, not caring if the people coming into the lodge were listening or not. Rey blushed and walked over, leaning up on her tippy toes to kiss him one last time before she murmured back, “I love you, Kylo Ren.”

*****

Rey draped herself across her husband’s chest, their chests still rising and falling from the sex they’d just had as sweat clung to their hair and flattened it against their skin. Her silver band glimmered under the glow of the fire beside them, the room oddly quiet considering the toddlers wouldn’t be with them for the rest of the week. “Did you have fun today?” she asked dumbly, lifting her gaze from her ring to his face.

Even Kylo laughed at that, giving her a confused expression as he reached down and picked up the hand showing off the silver band. “What kind of question is _that?_ I married the woman of my dreams today,” he told her honestly. Rey just blushed and pressed her lips against his skin, cuddling into his side a little deeper. 

“I’m glad I never agreed to marry Wexley,” she stated suddenly. Kylo frowned at the name, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to remember who that was exactly. He seemed to get it after a few seconds, recalling the man from England who had tried so many times for her hand. “I’m glad you never agreed to marry Wexley, too.” Rey chuckled at the defensive tone Kylo used, just kissing his chest again to reassure him her heart was his and his alone.

“It’s silly… three years ago I was living in a village with barely any residents, taking care of a chicken coop that seemed to be the only thing I loved, and refusing to marry a man who would never stop trying. Now I’m married to a Viking, am the daughter of a Danish king, and a mother to two children- well, four soon.” At the mention of her second pregnancy, Kylo shuffled a little so he could look down upon her.

His fingers pushed some hair out of her face and he looked at her seriously. “So you weren’t lying, then? You really are pregnant again?” Rey shrugged and moved her leg to drape it over his lower body, the cum he’d pushed inside of her earlier slipping down her thighs and leaking onto the sheets below. “Haven’t bled in a while and two stems sprouted when I did the test…” 

The room was filled with silence for a few moments.

“Fuck, we’re having two more,” Kylo finally breathed, pushing a hand into his hair as he drew her closer. Rey just laughed, burying her face into his shoulder until she began to pepper kisses all over his warm skin. “As long as I’m with you, all I will ever ask is that you give me more,” she murmured against his skin, suddenly pushing herself over so she could straddle his lap yet again. Seeming to understand she wanted to go a second time, Kylo’s cock hardened beneath her dripping cunt and he stared hungrily up into her eyes.

“Give you more children? Because nothing would make me happier than to fill you with my cum, watch you get round, then hold our babies and raise them,” Kylo growled, his large palms settling on her waist as Rey bent over and continued to trail her lips over his skin. “Not just children…” she mused, sitting back so he could get the full view of her bare figure on top of him. 

Kylo cocked his head to the side, staring up at the woman who owned every single bit of his heart, body, and soul. “Give me… give me more mornings where I wake up beside you, give me more kisses that show me you care, give me more nights when I can curl up beside you, give me more happiness with the way that you hold me, give me more love every second of the day, and give me more life with you in it.” 

The smile that covered his face warmed her heart more than any fire ever could, and with a slow nod and loving eyes, Kylo murmured, “I will always give you more, min smukke kone _(my beautiful wife)_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg the title in the story??? how did she ever come up with that?????


	19. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well y'all... this is it. Before you read this chapter, I just want to thank every single one of you who left kudos, read this fic, and left such wonderful, amazing comments. I read every single thing y'all have said about this fic and my heart feels so full to know y'all love it as much as I do. This is kind of my baby... I haven't written a big fic like this for Reylo, so I'm just so so happy y'all love it. So without further ado, enjoy this last short chapter of our Viking babies xx
> 
> ALSO CAN WE APPRECIATE THE FACT I MADE 19 FUCKING MOOD BOARDS WITHOUT REUSING THE SAME PICS??? MADNESS!!

The thunk to the ‘x’ carved into the side of the wood was followed by a defeated sigh. Rey just smiled at her son and placed a reassuring hand on his small shoulder as he lowered the bow Kylo had gifted to him for his birthday a few months ago. “I’m never going to get it,” Kyllan sulked, kicking the dirt as Rey observed the arrow far off the mark Kylo had carved for her nine years ago. 

“You’ll get it eventually, I know you will,” she promised, moving behind him and crouching down to his level so she could wrap him in a hug and kiss the back of his head. That earned a smile from him. “Where are your brothers and sisters off to, hm?” Rey asked, pulling away to look around the grassy slope for the four others. Kyllan shrugged, already starting to load another arrow shakily against the string of the bow.

“Kára took them down to the dock. They think dad’s going to come home today.” Rey nodded a little, sighing inwardly at the fact her other nine-year-old and three seven-year-olds were already wandering so far without her. Of course they would all inherit her and Kylo’s independence. It wasn’t like anyone was going to hurt them, obviously not with them being the sons and daughters of Freya the Fierce and chief Kylo Ren, but Rey, still being a mother after all, wanted her children close.

Kylo had been gone for six months now to help an old ally of his in Iceland, but it was expected that he would be home sometime this week. And of course that meant Rey and her children spent most of their time by the docks waiting for her husband to return. This wasn’t the first time he’d been gone for a few months in the last nine years, but it was definitely the longest and Rey’s loneliness was only growing.

“Want to put down the bow and go wait with your siblings?” Rey wondered, watching as her oldest son fired off the arrow and sunk it a few feet to the right of the x with another slump of his shoulders afterward. “I guess so…” he grumbled, turning to hand her the bow. With a small smile, Rey sighed and turned her son back around, ignoring his confused face as she handed him an arrow and got down on her knees behind him.

Kyllan pulled the arrow back and Rey placed her hands on top of his, fixing his posture as she closed one eye and fired the arrow along with her son. It hit the center of the x perfectly. He beamed at her then, turning around to hug his mother as she laughed softly and hugged him back. “One day, you won’t need me to do that. But until then, you just have to keep trying,” she murmured into his thick, black hair, something all of her children had inherited from Kylo.

Setting the bow and arrows back against the house, she took his hand in hers and started down the side of the grassy slope towards the village that had certainly gotten a little bigger over the years. Their rule had been kind but strong and many people had come to live under the famous couple that now seemed to hold an important place in Viking history. 

Snoke’s son had come years ago to try and avenge his father’s death, but he was easily defeated and that was the last time a battle had come to their front door. Their village mostly lived in peace now, converting to farming and ship making as opposed to raiding and capturing. It was beautiful in her lovely little town, and with a husband who she adored and children she spent every waking moment with, Rey couldn’t be any happier.

She was certain he was going to be elated to see her too, especially when he came home to the sixth surprise growing inside of her. They swore that after the last pregnancy, which ended up being _goddamn triplets,_ they wouldn’t have any more, but Kylo just had to knock her up the night before he left for six months, didn’t he? Rey promised to herself that if there were four coming out this time, she was going to murder him. 

Rey swung Kyllan’s hand and asked him if he thought Kylo would be back today, the warm wind of summer blowing through her hair and making the grass tickle her ankles below her dress. As if on cue, though, excited shouts from the village below drew her attention away from her son to the waterway. Barely in view, but very much there, six boats were rowing around the curve to approach the shoreline. 

Her lips parted in shock and Kyllan dropped her hand to race through the streets of the settlement. Swallowing thickly at the fact that Kylo was officially home today, Rey picked up her own pace and set a nervous hand on her round stomach- the baby he had no idea about. Pushing forward, the villagers ran around her and swarmed the shore until Rey broke through them as well and found her five children at the very front.

“Look, momma, dad’s home!” Brit, one of the seven-year-olds pointed when she caught sight of her mother. “Yes, I see…” Rey breathed out, still in shock at the fact her husband had finally returned from his venture. Bending down, Rey picked up the tiny girl and found Erik’s hand next, one of the boys from their triplet set. Hagen stood next to Kyllan and Kára, closer to the older siblings than the ones he was birthed alongside. 

As the boats grew closer and closer, loud murmurs from the crowd in excitement and anticipation filled her ears. Rey’s heart pounded painfully within her chest, unsure if her husband would be one of the people to get off the ships. It was always a risk when he sailed across the seas to help their allies in battle. She never knew if she would see him again, but the large figure that stood at the front of the leading boat calmed her worried heart and she let out a sigh of relief. 

Carefully, the boats slowed a while later until they came to rest on the sides of the wooden docks, the men and women within flooding out to greet friends and family with big smiles. Hagen, Kyllan, and Kára raced forward on the dock to swarm their father who got off last and Rey laughed a little at the sight, trying her best not to let tears form in her eyes even though they already were. Kylo picked up Kára and placed her on his hip, his two other sons hugging his legs and following behind him when his dark eyes finally settled upon his wife.

The smile that engulfed his face made Rey’s heart melt and those award winning dimples she loved so much finally made her walk forward to meet him halfway. When his eyes drifted down, the smile faded into surprise and when he looked back up to meet her gaze again, Rey just rolled her eyes and let go of Erik’s hand to pat her swollen stomach. 

He’d grown out his facial hair while he was gone, but Rey kind of liked how rugged it made him look. It was trimmed close to his face, longer than it usually was, but Rey didn’t seem to mind the new look at all. Kylo even had two new braids on the right side of his face that dangled down- silver clasps wrapped around the end of the woven hair while the left side remained long and untouched. Overall, not much had thankfully changed when she gazed upon her husband.

Within seconds, he was standing before her with affectionate eyes. “This is new…” he mumbled to suggest her stomach, leaning in to give her a slow, sweet kiss that had all of their children groaning in disgust. She laughed a little again this lips and nodded, reaching for his free hand to place it against her belly. “This is the last one and I _mean_ it this time. No more kids, Kylo.” He nodded with a grin, wrapping his free arm around her waist while Kára remained on his hip in the other.

“You gotta tell us everything, dad!” Erik demanded from his leg, beaming up at his father as the family began to walk in the direction of their house on the hill. “That’s up to your mother,” Kylo replied humorously, knowing Rey didn’t really like when he told battle stories, even though she knew he was going to tell them anyway. Blushing a little, Rey just nudged her husband and sighed out, “I suppose a few stories wouldn’t hurt…”

Their three boys all cheered and started babbling about swords and blood and war while the two girls on their hips mostly began to brag about all the skills Rey had taught them while he was gone. “Momma says I’m getting better at braiding,” Brit stated proudly, resting her head against Rey’s shoulder while her small hands clutched the fabric of her mother’s dress. 

“Oh? You’ll have to practice on me when we get home,” Kylo mused, giving Rey a knowing look that said they both knew they’d be combing out the tangles in his hair after they put the kids to bed. “I’m getting better with a bow!” Kára boasted, turning her gaze to the boys now racing away in a competition to see who could get to the house first. “Momma says I’m getting even better than Kyllan.”

Rey shook her head immediately and shot Kylo a pleading expression. “ _No,_ I didn’t say that. I just said you’re getting closer to the target every day,” Rey asserted, huffing a little at the way her children were already trying to manipulate their father. “Can we race?” Brit asked after a minute of them walking in slow silence. With a nod, Rey set the youngest daughter down as Kylo did the same and watched them giggle before taking off after the boys already halfway up the hill.

“Girl or boy?” Kylo asked then, his arm still protectively around his wife’s waist. “Girl… assuming it’s just one in there,” she teased, looking up to meet his amused chocolate colored eyes. He smiled, stopping them so he could bend down and kiss her more privately this time. His large, warm hands cupped the sides of her face and tangled gently into her hair to deepen the loving act while Rey pressed herself against him and moved her hands over his strong shoulders.

“I’ve missed you, Kylo Ren,” she whispered when they pulled away and rested their foreheads against each other. “And I’ve missed _you,_ Freya Ren.” Rey smiled at her name, still sounding so new after all these years. 

They turned back to the slope then, starting to trek up its angled side as their children chased each other around with happy shrieks and loud giggles. “You sure you want this to be the last one?” Kylo asked when they reached the top, watching the siblings delightedly play. Rey took in a deep breath and cocked her head to the side so she could rest it on his shoulder. “You know… I think this is the third time now I’ve said no more, but somehow, I always end up going against that.”

A quiet laugh was shared between them as they admired the tiny humans that looked like a beautiful mix of them run and tumble through the grass. “Promise me you won’t leave again for a while?” Rey asked, peering up at Kylo who was already staring down at her. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and cupped the side of her face lovingly while he shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, I promise.”

Rey hummed against his touch and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of the warm sun on her skin, her husband holding her face, the wind wrapping around them, and the sound of their children as happy as she felt with Kylo. “Dad?” A soft voice came suddenly at their feet. Rey and Kylo both looked down at Hagan, their youngest son who stared up at them with furrowed eyebrows. “What is it?” Kylo asked gently, reaching down to lift the little boy up and balance him on his hip while Rey extended a hand to tuck some of the boy’s black hair behind his ear.

“Will you tell me the story of how you and momma met again?” the little boy asked quietly, resting the side of his face against his father’s shoulder as Rey bit back a small smile. The other kids seemed to hear the question and approached their parents with curious eyes before they all sat down in the grass and placed their hands in their laps.

Shooting Rey a warm look, she nodded for reassurance and carefully lowered herself down to the ground as the family formed a circle and waited for Kylo to speak after he made himself comfortable on the grass as well. “Let’s see… how did your mother and I meet… Well, about nine years ago, my village was sent to go and raid whatever they found in England. I stayed behind when they went just because I was a grump back then and put my battling days behind me.”

Their children giggled a little at that and leaned in as Kylo glanced over at Rey who peered fondly back at him, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “When the men came home about a week later, they brought back a few women with them. One of them was your mother. She was given to me as a… servant,” he nervously dodged the title bed maid, “and the very first day she was with me, she put a knife through my chest and ran.”

Rey laughed a little at that, shaking her head at how she couldn’t even imagine doing something like that these days. “What did you do when momma stabbed you?” Kára asked with a giggle, leaning against her little sister. “What any normal man would do… fall in love with her.” The blush that crept up Rey’s face was unstoppable and the look of complete devotion Kylo was staring at her with did nothing to help. 

“Dad? Do you still love momma?” Hagen asked from his spot within Kylo’s arms. There was a short moment of silence where the world just seemed to fall away for a while as Rey held Kylo’s eyes. The sun beamed down on them, the smell of flowers filled her nose, a light kick came from inside of her belly, and happiness thrummed through Rey’s heart like blood. Kylo’s face had settled into something calm and loyal before he nodded, slow at first while a smile tugged at the lips she had kissed a thousand times. 

“Yes,” Kylo whispered then, “yes, I love your mother more than anything in the world. She’s given me everything she has to offer and I can only hope that I give her the same.” The lump that grew in the back of Rey’s throat was sudden and her vision blurred as tears welled up in the back of her eyes. “ _You have,_ ” she assured in a hushed tone meant only for his ears. Their quiet moment held for a few more seconds on the top of their grassy little hill, but to Rey, it felt like forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all so much for reading this fic and going on this journey with me. It's been so much fun to write this, but it's time to move onto the next one. Pirates of the Caribbean but make it Reylo anyone? ;)
> 
> Children (6):
> 
> Twins (9yo): Kyllan (m) and Kára (f)  
> Triplets (7yo): Erik (m), Brit (f), Hagen (m)  
> Expected: Viivi (f)


End file.
